June 19 to 25, 2016

Sunday ; A mix of sun and clouds, warm.

This morning I loaded firewood and fishing gear into Elsie in preparation for a short camping trip starting tomorrow. I checked truck fluids. I checked tire air pressures.
< sigh > Found a flat rear tire. I removed the wheel liner and hub cap, and remounted the valve extender which was leaking.

While Joanne was harvesting lettuce and radishes, and I was repairing the eavestrough I had recently installed on our deck ( I had made an installation error ), our neighbour / friend Jeanine and her little dog Charlie came by for a visit. We visited for a couple of hours in our gazebo. After Jeanine and Charlie left we had an extremely late lunch and
I had a brief nap.

I continued re-caulking the yard shed base. We went to the park's "burn pile" area to dump some garden waste and fill a bag with wood chips to use as gardening mulch. Joanne took care of some WCB paperwork for Gord and I administered drops in Ozzie's ears again. Since Gord's mesothelioma ( asbestos caused lung cancer ) is work related, he is applying for assistance from the Province of Saskatchewan Worker's Compensation Board.

Monday ; home to Granite Creek Forest Service Recreation Site

Partly sunny and warm in the morning, cloudy and intermittent light rain in the afternoon, cloudy and cool in the evening ... with lots of mosquitoes.

This morning we finished packing and preparing for a few days of camping. As we were preparing to leave, Gord and Marcie came outside to go for a ride on their golf cart. Gord was feeling well enough to want to come outside and get some fresh air. He's looking better than a few days ago, now that he has a larger chest tube and it's draining well.

We left home at 11:45 AM, heading west on Highway 3 through Hedley to Princeton where we stopped to buy some groceries at Save-On-Foods. From Princeton we headed northwest on Coalmont - Tulameen Road following the Tulameen River until we reached Coalmont. From there it was just a couple of km. to Granite Creek Forest Service Recreation Site. We selected a campsite and got set up. We had a late lunch, then I went to nap with Bo while Joanne sat outside doing Sudoku puzzles. I had a long nap because it kept raining on and off. When it finally finished raining I got up and went fly fishing for about an hour.

Right behind our campsite Granite Creek spills into the Tulameen River. That seemed like an excellent spot for fly fishing. HMPH ... I was wrong !  I gave up after about an hour and returned to the camper. I thought it was time to light a campfire and cook supper on the campfire, but Joanne didn't want that. It was a bit chilly, still threatening to rain, and there were lots of mosquitoes. She wanted to cook supper inside the camper, and forget about a campfire for tonight !  I did some fly fishing gear maintenance at the picnic table, then went inside the camper to work on my laptop while Joanne prepared supper.

After supper the sky cleared and it warmed a bit. We went for a long leisurely walk, to the river, around the campground, down the road to the bridge over Granite Creek, to the edge of the village of Coalmont. We returned to the campground and I lit a campfire. We sat around the campfire until 11 PM. Daylight lasted until 10:30 PM tonight, the summer solstice.

Tuesday ; Granite Creek Forest Service Recreation Site to Otter Lake Provincial Park

A mix of sun and clouds, mild. HMPH ! Lost my pocket knife today. HMPH ! Had it about fifteen years. Got it for free. Had TECHNI-CAL ( a Canadian pet food manufacturer ) branded into the wood handle. HMPH !  I'm pissed off at myself for losing it !

We got a slow start to the day, then lazily prepared for departure. We left Granite Creek Forest Service Recreation Site, drove through the little village of Coalmont, and headed north, reaching the little village of Tulameen about 15 km. later. Just beyond Tulameen was our destination for today, Otter Lake Provincial Park. Inside the park we refilled the camper's freshwater tank then selected a campsite. Joanne walked back to the entrance gate, thinking that there was a self-register / self-pay kiosk there. There wasn't ! But while she was perusing the information board there she sensed something behind her. She turned around and ... WHOA !  A BEAR !

The bear stepped off the road behind Joanne and began grazing, mostly unconcerned about her presence. The bear was blocking Joanne's return to the campground, so she stepped out of the park, onto the highway, and waited for the bear to move on, which it did shortly.

We had lunch and I napped for awhile. I went fishing for a couple of hours, catching nothing. But I had an interesting view of a dispute over fishing territory between a Bald Eagle and a Hawk. As the eagle flew over the lake, the screeching hawk "dive bombed" from above. Just before the hawk, with its talons stretched out, hit the eagle, the eagle flipped over onto its back in mid-air and the two birds "bitch slapped" at one another. WOW ! KEWL ! The hawk apparently won the battle, and the eagle flew away. But it returned about half an hour later and the scene repeated itself. WOW ! KEWL !

After fishing I started a campfire and cooked supper on it, one of my favourite things to do when camping. Joanne wrapped meat, potatoes, carrots, onions, and mushrooms in foil packets and I cooked them on the fire to perfection. Well ... my packet was cooked to perfection. The meat in Joanne's packet was slightly burned on one side. DARN !  We ate supper at our campsite's picnic table, then spent the rest of the evening sitting around the campfire.

Wednesday ; Otter Lake Provincial Park back to Granite Creek Forest Service Recreation Site

Sunny and warm.

This morning we slowly prepared for departure from Otter Lake Provincial Park including refilling our freshwater tank at a water spigot in the campground. We left the campground, drove south through the village of Tulameen, to the village of Coalmont, then to the Granite Creek Forest Service Recreation Site ... again. We pulled into the same campsite that we had a couple of days ago. And there ... lying on the ground right beside the truck was ... MY LOST POCKET KNIFE !  WOO-HOO !

Must have been all that clean living I did in the 70's !  HA HA HA !

The weather was lovely. We had a very pleasant day. We had lunch. I napped. I went fly fishing. Caught nothing. We read. We went for a hike up a logging road following Granite Creek. The problem with hiking up a logging road in B.C. is ... it's always "up" !
I went fly fishing again. Still caught nothing ! Bo spent the entire day off leash. What a good dog !  I lit a campfire. I baked potatoes and grilled burgers over the open fire. Well done, Daniel ! We sat around the campfire until dark.

Life is good !

 

Thursday ; Granite Creek Forest Service Recreation Site to Princeton to home

Mostly cloudy and mild. Heavy rainfall for the last 15 km. of driving home, between Hedley and home. I'm still suffering with intermittent symptoms of a colitis flare up.

This morning just before leaving, as Joanne was walking the dog, she found two interesting mushrooms. Using my Mushroom Hunter book we were able to identify them as members of the Agaricus family of mushrooms, but were uncertain whether they were the "Pink Bottom" or "The Prince".

We leisurely prepared for departure and left the Granite Creek Forest Service Recreation Site about 11 AM. We drove south on Coalmont - Tulameen Road back to Princeton where we stopped in town to buy a jug of milk. From Princeton we took the "scenic route" heading east on Old Hedley Road following the Similkameen River on the north side. Highway 3 follows the river on the south side. When Old Hedley Road ended at Highway 3 a few km. west of Hedley we turned east on Highway 3 and stopped at Picard Forest Service Recreation Site to have lunch.

After lunch we continued driving home eastbound on Highway 3, with heavy rain starting as we passed through Hedley, about fifteen minutes from home. The rain stopped as we arrived home at Riverside RV Park Resort. We dumped the camper's waste holding tanks at our RV park's sani-dump station, then got parked in our yard. While I napped ( not feeling well ! ) Joanne unloaded the camper.

Our next door neighbour Marcie came over to use our stove to cook their supper. They can't use their stove because Gord's oxygen generator is too close to the kitchen. I will try to rectify that problem tomorrow. I got caught up on e-mail and other online work.
I made reservations on the ferries to Vancouver Island and back, and motel reservations, for an upcoming trailer towing job to Vancouver Island. I sent a quote ( $6000 ! ) for a trailer towing job from Edmonton, Alberta to La Peñita de Jaltemba, Mexico ( 4600 km. ) !

Friday ; Heavy rain until mid-afternoon, cold.

This morning Joanne left in the minivan for a day of running errands in Penticton by herself. I went next door to do some maintenance work for the neighbours. Using screws and clips I mounted the vinyl hose from Gord's oxygen generator in their living room up and along the ceiling to their bedroom, then down to their bed. Until now it had been awkwardly draped along the floor, under the dinette table, down the hallway, etc., from one end of their manufactured home all the way to the other. Then I brought Ozzie over to our place and treated his infected ears again. I think I made a breakthrough today. One of his ears has been responding well to treatment, and one has not. Today
I was able to remove a large amount of "gunk" from the ear that has not been responding well. I think the ear has been clogged with infection "gunk" and the drops have not been getting as deep into the ear canal as they need to be.

I had a late lunch, then napped with Bo for awhile. When I awoke the rain had stopped. I did some preventive maintenance on the truck. I took Bo for a walk, checked the mailbox, and returned some books to the library in the clubhouse. Then I removed the camper off the truck, a difficult job to do without Joanne's help.

Joanne returned home about 6 PM. We made pizza for supper and spent the evening watching TV.

Saturday ; Mostly sunny and mild.

We got a late start to the day. We gave each other back and neck massages with the new massager Joanne bought yesterday. She had borrowed a massager last winter to deal with sore muscles in her neck, and she quite liked it.

This afternoon Joanne did laundry. And harvested lettuce and radishes out of our garden. I puttered around with minor maintenance chores on the truck and the camper. I did a thorough cleaning of our "Bupkis" barbecue. That would be "Bupkis I" barbecue. "Bupkis II" barbecue is in Yuma. HA HA HA ! See what happens when you don't follow along ? HA HA HA !

Later in the afternoon, at my desk, I reconciled and paid our monthly MasterCard bill. YIKES ! We certainly do spend a lot of money every May and June after returning from the winter down south !  I also did monthly and yearly computer file backups.

After supper we watched the 1953 ( older than us ! ) movie "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" with Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe. What a classic ! We ended the evening with a hot tub date.

DSK

June 12 to 18, 2016

Sunday ; Started out cloudy and cool, became sunny and warm in the afternoon.

This morning I repackaged the cell phone and "global" SIM card that are incompatible, and fired off an angry e-mail to London Drugs' customer service department.
I sharpened knives. I cleaned Bo's ears.

This afternoon Joanne and I both worked on the minivan. She did some interior cleaning, I did some minor maintenance. I did some minor maintenance on our truck camper's little generator. I posted my weekly journal to my blog, then we took Bo for a long, leisurely walk around the RV park. We chatted for close to an hour with the owners of our previous lot.

Monday ; Started out partially cloudy and downright chilly, warming later in the day.

I watered plants and gardens. I watered our composters. We took Bo for a long walk. Joanne did laundry. We visited briefly with Jeanine. I gave her more assistance with her camera and the photos now on her computer.

This afternoon we cleaned Ozzie's ears again and administered ear drops again. His ear infection is a yeast infection, a fungal infection. The drops I am administering are resolving the problem. Perhaps a bit quicker in one ear than the other. I did some preventive maintenance on both the truck and the minivan. We took Bo and Ozzie to the dog park. I did some needed maintenance on the neighbours' golf cart. We visited briefly with Gord and Marcie, to encourage / assist Gord to get outside and get a bit of fresh air. I did some caulking on our shed base.

I played telephone tag with the Penticton London Drugs camera and phone department manager. I finally had to get tough / bullying to get her on the line. She was condescending, but amenable to my demands for either a full refund on this new cell phone or a Telus SIM card at no charge. We'll see how it goes when I meet her face to face on Wednesday.

While downloading photos from Jeanine's deceased husband's camera I found a photo of another neighbour's husband, from happier, healthier times. He's now in a care facility, in poor heath. I enhanced and printed the photo, and presented it to her as a surprise gift.

Tuesday ; Partially cloudy, intermittent bouts of light rain.

What a day ! Late this morning Joanne left in our minivan for a day of running errands in Penticton. I had just finished routine morning chores and was about to take Bo for a walk before making lunch for myself when there was a knock on the door. Marcie was there, looking slightly anxious, asking if Joanne could drive her and Gord to Kelowna Hospital. Overnight he had puffed up like the Michelin Man. Marcie had driven Gord to see their family doctor in Keremeos, and she ( the doctor ) told them to head for Kelowna Hospital Emergency. Marcie seems no longer able to drive to Kelowna, so ... they drove back here to Riverside RV Park Resort to ask Joanne to rush them to Kelowna Emergency.

< sigh > I pulled Lanoire the truck out from underneath Elsie the truck camper, loaded Gord ... and his oxygen tank and paraphernalia into the front seat of the truck, while Marcie got herself into the rear seat of the truck. With Ozzie ! HUH ? Why is Ozzie coming with us ? ! ? I still don’t have an answer to that question !

We pulled out of the RV park at 12:30 PM. I drove as fast as possible and arrived at Kelowna Hospital about 2:45 PM. Gord was being attended to in Emergency within minutes of our arrival.

Diagnosis ; subcutaneous emphysema ! One of his two chest tubes had become dislodged, and air was leaking into / under his skin tissues. A thoracic surgeon ( and team ) removed the dislodged chest tube, made a new incision, and inserted a larger chest tube. Gord was going to be readmitted to the hospital. By 4 PM Marcie and I were leaving the hospital to return home.

We stopped in Westbank / West Kelowna to refill with diesel and for Marcie to buy a fast food dinner to go. We stopped at a rest area between Summerland and Penticton to give Ozzie a rest break and drink of water. We arrived back home about 7 PM.

Wednesday ; Mostly cloudy, intermittent light rain.

I felt ill for much of today with a colitis flare up. Which made it easier to cancel a flight
I had planned for today.

Late this morning I headed to Penticton in the truck to run some errands and go flying. As I drove from home to Penticton I could see that there were plenty of low, grey bottom, cumulus clouds building up. By the time I arrived in Penticton I had decided to cancel my rental booking of Cessna 172 C-GHBM due to weather. I'm an old man. My bad weather flying days are behind me. I only want to fly in nice weather now.
I cancelled my rental booking of the airplane, then drove to Canadian Tire to buy a few automotive items. From there it was over to London Drugs to get a refund on the cell phone I purchased a few weeks ago. While at Cherry Lane Mall, where London Drugs is located, I was going to have a late lunch in the food court, but felt too ill to eat.
I refilled the truck with diesel. I took it through a car wash that accommodates dually pickup trucks. It was approaching 3 PM and I decided I had had enough of running errands. I drove home, arriving shortly after 3:30 PM.

Still feeling ill, I had a very late lunch, and went to sleep for awhile. When I awoke about 5 PM we took Bo for a walk that was cut short by cold rain. After the rain ended
I replaced a burned out bulb in the minivan. I was working on my computer when Marcie came over to discuss "Gord issues" with Joanne. Joanne will drive Marcie to Kelowna Hospital tomorrow morning. It seems as if Gord is not likely to be returning home again within the next few days.

Thursday ; Mostly sunny, but cool and windy.

This morning Joanne left with Marcie, in Marcie's car, headed for Kelowna Hospital yet again, to visit with Gord and find out what's going on. I did some preventive maintenance on the truck, then two repairs on the truck. First I replaced the tail light bulb that burned out yesterday. Then I repaired the "starburst" crack in the windshield that happened yesterday. In the last couple of months the windshields in both of our vehicles have been damaged by rocks !

I took Bo and Ozzie for a walk to our park's clubhouse so that I could return a book to the library. I put drops in Ozzie's ears. After lunch we all had a nap ; me and the two dogs. I repaired a watch band. I went fishing.

First fishing trip of the year. I drove about 5 km. / 3 miles east to fish on a "gravel bar" in the Similkameen River. I drove across a section of the river to get to the gravel bar. SHIT !  Deeper than I expected !  Well done, Lanoire !  I fished for about forty-five minutes, catching nothing. Wind too strong for fly fishing. Water too cold to stand in any longer.

Late in the afternoon Kelowna Hospital decided to release Gord, so Joanne and Marcie returned home about 7 PM ... with Gord !

Friday ; Sunny and warm.

This morning we had a "meet & greet" meeting on our deck with the clients who have hired us to transport their large fifth wheel trailer from Osoyoos to Vancouver Island in about a month. They wanted to meet us, and "brainstorm" some scheduling and logistics.

This afternoon we had a visit from Robbie and Christine, previous neighbours who have returned for a brief visit with old friends in the park. Also this afternoon, as we took Bo for a long walk around the RV park, we met a couple who have just purchased a lot here in Riverside RV Park Resort. We chatted with them for quite awhile at their new lot, and then in our gazebo, discussing with them their lot development ideas and trailer purchase options.

We drove into town ( Keremeos ) this afternoon. While I got a haircut and beard trim, Joanne refilled our five gallon water jug and bought some fresh produce. Back at home I did some more re-caulking of our yard shed base / floor. I'm working on this
re-caulking project one small section at a time. In the evening I ordered new business cards for Similkameen Trailer Towing.

Saturday ; TWELTH ANNIVERSARY OF RETIREMENT

Cloudy, cold, steady rain starting around noon. BRRRRR ! Not what I have been referring to for twelve years as a "June 18" weather day !

I used to consider June 18 to be our "full time RV'ing" anniversary and "homeless, unemployed vagabond" anniversary, but ... since we're no longer full time RV'ing, and are now receiving small pensions ... no longer "unemployed" ... it makes sense to consider June 18 simply our "retirement" anniversary. SO ... today ... twelve years of healthy, happy retirement ! Something that many people ... perhaps most people ... will never be fortunate enough to enjoy. Certainly none of our four parents were that fortunate.

In those twelve years we have travelled 355,003 km. / 221,877 miles. WOW !

I was awakened this morning by the new lot owner we met yesterday knocking on our door at 8 AM ... < sigh >. He wanted my help to take some measurements on their new lot, and my input to their “vision” for lot development and trailer placement / positioning. I told him to come back in an hour and I would be happy to help. < whispering > I would have been happier to help in two hours. Maybe even more happier in three hours. HA HA HA !

This morning we mounted Elsie the truck camper onto Lanoire the truck, in preparation for an upcoming short camping trip. Good thing we got that done before the rain began. This afternoon I gave Bo a face haircut. HEY ... we all need our beards trimmed from time to time, n’est-ce pas ? HA HA HA !

This evening we watched the fifth and final episode of the O. J. Simpson documentary. What goes around ... comes around ... !  What a sordid tale !

DSK

June 5 to 11, 2016

Sunday ; Sunny and hot, 35º C / 94º C. A bit hotter than usual for this time of year. Joanne cooked an excellent chicken stew in the Sun Oven today, using fresh whole garlics ... including the garlic scapes ( greens ) ... she bought the other day.

Another busy day. This morning Marcie headed to Kelowna to visit Gord in the hospital, driven by Sylvia, another neighbour, giving Joanne a "day off" from the daily drive to Kelowna chores. We started the day by heading to nearby Cawston, to Bushy's Greenhouses, to replenish some of our gardening failures. I bought some cucumber plantings, Joanne bought some basil plants. On the way back into our RV park we stopped at Jeanine's for a short visit. I wanted to give her new camera to her. I had kept it to adjust all the internal settings that I could to "automatic".

Back at home Joanne planted our gardening purchases, then harvested some of our lettuce and radishes. First produce harvested this year. I changed a tire on the next door neighbour's golf cart, then used my small compressor to adjust the air in all four of the golf cart tires. Ozzie was inside their house howling, expressing his displeasure at being left alone in the house. I brought him over to our place. He was happier to be with us and Bo. His "kidnap" anxiety has disappeared.

After lunch I napped. It was too hot to continue working outdoors. Later in the afternoon I adjusted the air in my bicycle's tires. I did more "spring cleaning" in the neighbours' yard < raising eyebrows, rolling eyes >. I did a small "home repair" on their manufactured home. Joanne did laundry. We took Bo and Ozzie on a long, slow walk around the RV Park. We set up our portable, "swamp" / evaporative cooler in our bedroom.

Before supper I did some online work, including posting my weekly blog entry. We watched Downton Abbey. We ate supper ... WONDERUL ... while watching MasterChef Canada.

Monday ; Sunny and hot, 36º C / 96º F.

We waited until 10 AM this morning to see if Kelowna Hospital was going to phone Marcie to advise her that Gord might be released today. When she hadn't heard anything by 10 AM Joanne and I left for a day of shopping and running errands in Penticton.

Mark's Work Wearhouse, Dollarama, Great Canadian Oil Change, JC Bottle Depot ( recycling ), Rona, Cherry Lane Mall food court for lunch, Real Canadian Fuel Bar, Canadian Tire, Van's Auto Wrecking, Parker Chrysler, Wal-Mart, Superstore ! Back home about 5:30 PM. WHEW !

As soon as we arrived back home we took Bo and Ozzie to the dog park. Marcie came over to discuss with Joanne some phone calls she had today with medical people regarding Gord. They will head to Kelowna first thing in the morning with the hope that by day's end Gord will be released from the hospital. I returned a phone call requesting a quote on a trailer towing job. I was hired to tow a large fifth wheel trailer from near Penticton to near Vernon on Wednesday.

While barbecuing a late supper I watered our composters, plants and gardens. As we were finishing supper Marcie came over again. Ozzie was lonely and wanted to visit. HA HA HA ! Apparently he's no longer worried that we're going to "kidnap" him overnight. What I think it really means is ... he misses Gord who has been in the hospital for almost a week.

Tuesday ; Sunny and hot.

Joanne left this morning ( in our minivan ) with Marcie, headed for the hospital in Kelowna. They were back home by suppertime. Gord will be in the hospital at least a few more days. Joanne took Marcie across the street from the hospital, to the cancer clinic, and sorted out some oncologist appointment issues / problems.

I drove ( in our truck ) to Osoyoos, to an auto wrecker / junk yard to get some seat track caps for the minivan. I drove all the way to Osoyoos only to discover ... the junk yard fellow that I spoke to a week ago who told me they had what I needed ... misunderstood what I needed ... < sigh > !

I installed the fifth wheel hitch into the truck, as well as the rest of the supplies I need to do a trailer tow job tomorrow. I napped with Bo ... and Ozzie. Ozzie now expects an afternoon nap with me and Bo. HA HA HA !  I also administered antibiotic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory ear drops to Ozzie. Over the last few days, and especially while we bathed him, it became obvious to me that Ozzie has infected ears.

I watered our plants and gardens. And I installed a fifty foot long soaker / weeper hose to irrigate our vegetable gardens while we are gone for a month on our Haida Gwaii adventure. I barbecued burgers for supper. In the evening I bought my 2016 fishing license online.

Wednesday ; home to Penticton to Vernon to home

Cloudy, humid, warm, light rain late in the afternoon and early evening as we were driving home. < sigh > Today was the second in a row trailer towing job that was soured by a mechanical breakdown on the truck. What's going on with my wonderful truck ? ! ?

This morning we left home at 9:45 AM heading for Penticton. Once in Penticton we refilled Lanoire the truck with diesel fuel, then headed up Munson Mountain to pick up a large fifth wheel trailer. We met the client, hooked up his trailer, and off we went, leaving at 11:30 AM, heading through Penticton and north on Hwy. 97. Through Summerland and Peachland, and at West Kelowna / Westbank, we turned onto Westside Road which follows the western shoreline of Okanagan Lake while Hwy. 97 remains on the east side of Okanagan Lake.

At 12:33 PM we arrived at the 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM roadblock on Westside Road.
< sigh > There is road construction taking place on Westside Road that requires dynamite blasting. The road is closed for two hours every morning and two hours every afternoon. We were the first vehicle to arrive at the roadblock after the 12:30 PM closure. < sigh > We sat for two hours ! We ate our picnic lunch. I walked Bo. I picked Saskatoons. Joanne walked Bo. I made small talk with the flag lady. < sigh >

At 2:36 PM we continued northbound on Westside Road, arriving at the client's father's rural property about 3:15 PM. It was a difficult trailer positioning, taking much more time than most. < sigh > We tried very hard to satisfy the client's father's requests. And as
I was completing the final tricky manoeuvering ... a brake hose on the truck ruptured.
< huge sigh >

While Joanne and I unhitched the large fifth wheel trailer the client’s father went to buy me a litre of brake fluid at the nearest “General Store”. I wrapped the ruptured brake hose with a lot of duct tape, topped up the brake fluid, and with some anxiety, took off for home about 5 PM.

We drove 175 km. / 110 miles to home with a ruptured brake hose, using the brakes almost none. Lots of up and down, curving mountain roads. Three deer and one mountain goat to dodge ! Lots of stop and go rush hour traffic and traffic lights through the cities. Light rain making the roads slick and slippery. I used transmission downshifting and diesel engine braking to slow down and stop as much as was possible. I stopped twice on the way home to replenish the brake fluid in the master cylinder. Even with all the duct tape on the ruptured brake hose, it spouted brake fluid like a geyser every time I stepped on the brake pedal.

We arrived back home at 7:45 PM, frazzled, tired, and hungry. < sigh > Marcie was eagerly waiting for us. She wants Joanne to drive her to Kelowna early tomorrow morning to pick up Gord who is being released from the hospital after eight days.

< sigh >

Thursday ; Mostly cloudy, chilly, windy.

Joanne left at 8 AM with Marcie, in our minivan, headed to Kelowna to retrieve Gord. They returned home about 3 PM. Gord has lost a great deal of weight. He is on oxygen. He looks frail. < sigh > Welcome home, Gord.

I phoned an auto supply store in Penticton this morning to see if they had the brake hose I need for the truck. They did. I had them put it aside then phoned Joanne and told her to pick it up on their way back from Kelowna. She did.

I went over to see our neighbour / friend Jeanine. I reviewed the basic operation of her new camera with her. Then I downloaded from her new camera to her computer the "test" photos I asked her to shoot over the last few days. THEN ... I discovered that her deceased husband's two cameras had memory cards in them. I downloaded to her computer all the photos taken by her husband in the last few years of his life. He died two years ago. I suspect she will have some happy memories and probably shed a few tears when she reviews all those photos which are now in her computer.

I returned home and took Bo and Ozzie for a walk, then made ( a very late ) lunch for myself. Before going for a nap, I cleaned Ozzie's ears again and administered more ( antibiotic / antibacterial / antifungal / anti-inflammatory ) drops into his ears. His infected ears are considerably better than they were a few days ago. We all laid down for a nap, but less than half an hour later, Joanne, Marcie, and Gord arrived home. HMPH ! Not much of a nap !

Joanne immediately made more phone calls on Gord's behalf, setting up more medical appointments. < sigh > The BC health care system's lack of concern for the value of patient's time keeps rearing its ugly head. Good thing Joanne is acting as Gord's strong willed advocate !

We walked the dogs again. I reconciled some month end financial statements. And
I continued an ongoing dialogue by e-mail with a potential trailer towing client regarding a long distance trailer towing job in mid-July.

Friday ; Cloudy, chilly, intermittent rain all day long.

This morning Joanne headed into town in the minivan to run some errands. I worked on the truck brake hose replacement. I jacked up the passenger side front of the truck, got it onto an axle stand for safety, and removed the wheel and tire. I removed the ruptured brake hose. I was installing the new brake hose when Joanne returned home, and the rain began. I abandoned the job, and we went inside to have lunch.

After lunch it was still raining so I went to have a nap. Within a few minutes the next door neighbours ( the "weekenders" from the Lower Mainland ) arrived at our door for a brief visit. They left, the rain had stopped, so we took Bo and Ozzie for a walk. When we took Ozzie home after a walk we visited briefly with Gord and Marcie. Gord seems to be doing okay ... I guess ... but he looks frail and ill. He has lost fifty-six pounds since he first began to feel ill about two months ago.

After a brief visit we returned home and I returned to the brake hose replacement job.
I finished installing the new brake hose. Joanne assisted me in bleeding the air from the brake line. That's a two person job. I reinstalled the wheel and tire, removed the axle stand and jack, and began cleaning up. Cleaning and putting away tools and supplies, then cleaning myself, seemed almost as difficult as the brake hose replacement. Overall, the job went reasonably well. And I feel a satisfying sense of self-sufficiency.

In the evening I worked on some Similkameen Trailer Towing job planning. I calculated ferry costs and did some schedule planning for an upcoming trailer towing job to Vancouver Island.

Saturday ; Cloudy, cool, intermittent light rain

What a wasted day !  I spent more than four hours trying and failing to activate a new cell phone with new "global" SIM card. Now ... I wonder how willing the retailer ( London Drugs ) will be to provide a refund of purchase price on a phone that has been opened ? All of the indestructible packaging and plastic bags containing pieces and parts had to ripped open. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate dealing with cell phone techno-bullshit ? ! ?

DSK

May 29 to June 4, 2016

Sunday ; Cloudy and cool, becoming sunny, mild, and windy.

Yesterday morning I took a Prednisone pill to help deal with a gout / arthritis problem.
I had a poor reaction to taking that medication, especially since I took it on an empty stomach. Yesterday afternoon I experienced a flare up of colitis symptoms. And I had severe insomnia overnight. I tossed and turned until 3:30 AM then fell asleep for only an hour and a half ! After phoning the potential trailer towing client in Kitimat, BC this morning at 9 AM I went back to bed ... and fell asleep until mid-afternoon ! < sigh >

This afternoon we trimmed Bo's claws then did some garden replanting. For the first time since we planted two Saskatoon berry bushes in our yard three years ago, they have fruit on them. And a few of the berries are already ripe. Bo was blissfully unaware that we have two small Saskatoon berry bushes growing at the far outer edges of our sloped rock wall "front" yard. We invited him over to see one of the bushes with a few low hanging berries. "WHOA ... SASKATOONS ! ! !" CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP

HA HA HA ... you go, Bo ! Bo LOOOOOOOVES Saskatoons. And he especially loves harvesting his own. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !

I spent the evening watching YouTube videos on how to remove ( and reinstall ) the interior door panel on a 2002 Dodge Caravan passenger side sliding door ... AND ... how to remove and replace the passenger side sliding door lock actuator, a repair that our minivan requires.

Monday ; SIX YEARS AS A NON-SMOKER !

Congratulations, Daniel ! Well done !

This morning I worked on the minivan door lock repair / replacement project. First
I removed our portable fridge from the minivan, then the middle bench seat. Following the YouTube video instructions I learned last night I removed the passenger side sliding door window moulding and interior panel. Went reasonably well. Broke some of the mounting clips, but ... I think that's inevitable. With some difficulty and "persuasion"
I managed to get the jammed lock unlocked and the door open. Then I removed the power door lock assembly, and removed the lock actuator. HEY ... that went reasonably well also. I figured out how to force the door lock to remain unlocked by installing a bolt and nut in a particular place and ... that was all I could do for today. The door now opens and closes properly. BUT ... it can't be locked. Hopefully I will be able to buy the necessary repair parts on Thursday in Oliver when we deliver a trailer there.

Twice today we took Bo and Ozzie for long walks. Ozzie is reluctant to come with us when we take him for walks. He suspects that we are going to "kidnap" him overnight again. Which ... we actually will do in a couple of days when Gord has surgery in Kelowna later this week.

In the evening I worked on setting up my new pilot log book. That was more complicated than I expected, summarizing thirty one years of flying experience into the new book's opening entries. I did not finish. My previous pilot log book summarized "cross country" flying into just one column, the new book breaks it down into "day" and "night", and "dual" ( with instructor ) and "pilot in command". Perhaps tomorrow I will set up a spreadsheet to figure it out.

Tuesday ; Sunny and warm.

Had a lazy day again. While Joanne went into town this morning for a doctor's appointment I prepared the truck for a trailer towing job tomorrow. This afternoon I did a minor repair to the stove in our home. Our neighbour / friend Jeanine came by for a visit. While Joanne prepared supper I did some caulking on the base of our yard shed.

Our next door neighbour / friend who has mesothelioma has deteriorated rapidly. He's been very ill for the last couple of days. He is scheduled for surgery tomorrow in Kelowna. Good luck Gord.

Wednesday ; Mostly sunny, mild. NOT a great day ! ! !

Well ! One of my worst nightmares came to pass today. Had a mechanical breakdown on the truck while towing a client's trailer. < sigh >

This morning we left home at 9 AM heading for Osoyoos. We arrived at Nk'Mip RV Park right on time at 10 AM. We hooked up to the client's thirty foot travel trailer very quickly. He had it ready to go. As we drove through Osoyoos ... the truck lost power steering. HUH ? And then power brakes. HUH ? ? ?  I pulled over, popped the hood, and saw that the Serpentine belt was not running. The client was right behind me in his car, we only had to go about 32 km. / 20 miles to Oliver so ... I decided to "go for it". Within moments the temperature gauge moved as far as it could to "hot". Without the Serpentine belt running ... the radiator fan was not turning ! We turned off the air conditioner, turned the heater on full blast ( to help dissipate the engine's heat ), opened all the windows, and ... hurried ! The truck was extremely difficult to drive without power steering and power brakes, especially while towing a large trailer. And I was extremely worried that the overheating engine, with no coolant flowing through the radiator ( no Serpentine belt, so no water pump function ) would blow out the radiator, or at least, a radiator hose.

We made it to the client's new RV park, got the trailer positioned and set up, and then hurried away ... without having turned the engine off. I was worried that the truck might not restart since the batteries had not been charging since the Serpentine belt broke ... or slipped off ... or ? ? ? And I was afraid that if I turned the engine off, the built up heat would ... explode something before it could dissipate. < sigh >

We made it back to "downtown" Oliver where I pulled into an independent service station at 11:45 AM. The owner said that they would be able to do an immediate "emergency repair". < sigh > They invited us to wait ... with Bo ... in their customer waiting area. Joanne took Bo for a walk, and I walked down the street to Lordco and Napa, two auto supply shops, looking for a sliding door lock actuator for our minivan. At both places, the cost was slightly over a hundred and fifty bucks ! < sigh > While we ate our picnic lunch in the customer waiting area of the service facility we discussed the cost of the minivan door lock actuator, and decided that it wasn't worth it. I will reassemble the minivan's sliding door, without the lock actuator, and render the sliding door on the passenger side "permanently" locked.

The truck was fixed and ready to go by 2:30 PM. The tensioner pulley had
self-destructed, just due to wear and tear, and it damaged / destroyed the Serpentine belt when it self-destructed. So ... new tensioner pulley, new Serpentine belt, an hour of labour ( very reasonable ) ... KA-CHING ... three hundred bucks ! More than twice the revenue of the trailer towing job. < sigh >

Lanoire ( the truck ) seems to have suffered no damage from the overheating. What a great truck ! Moments before the problem occurred, the odometer had rolled through 309,000 km. We ran errands in and around Oliver, finishing with grocery shopping. We left Oliver around 4:30 PM and were home before 6 PM.

Shortly after arriving home we received a phone call from our next door neighbour, Marcie, who was at her mother's in Penticton, having spent the day at the hospital in Kelowna. Gord's surgery in Kelowna this morning had gone poorly. His mesothelioma / lung cancer had developed more rapidly and was more extensive than anticipated. He was in the Intensive Care Unit tonight. The prognosis is ... poor ! 

< SIGH > 

After eating a late supper we went next door to get Ozzie and bring him over to spend the night with us.

Thursday ; Sunny and warm.

This morning Joanne left at 9:30 PM, drove to Penticton, picked up Marcie the next door neighbour, then drove to Kelowna to see how her husband Gord was doing in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital. Well ! By the end of the day there was considerable improvement in Gord's condition. This morning they finally removed the respirator tube from Gord's throat so that he could breathe on his own. AND ... eat for the first time in three days. During yesterday's surgery to conduct more biopsies and drain his fluid filled lungs they installed a drainage tube from his lungs out through underneath his ribs. So ... now the continual build up of fluids in and around his lungs can be continually drained. That resulted in considerable relief and improvement for Gord. Joanne and Marcie returned from Kelowna around suppertime. Joanne will drive Marcie back and forth to Kelowna for at least a couple more days. Marcie doesn't seem to want to stay alone in a hotel / motel room in Kelowna.

This afternoon while doing some cleaning chores I found a web like cocoon stuck on a nylon bag. I flicked it off with my finger. It stuck to my finger. YUCK !  I shook my finger but it did not fall off. YUCK !  I pulled it off with my other hand and ... it broke open. YUCK !  Inside were ... YIKES ! ! ! ... a large Black Widow Spider and her nest of eggs. YIKES ! YUCK ! YIKES ! ! !  I shook my hand hard and the spider fell off. WHEW ! The sac / nest of eggs kind of smeared on my finger. YUCK !  Well ... at least I didn't get bit by "Mom".

While I was watering our gardens and plants I was watching a new neighbour move in across the street. They were trying to back their new forty-two foot fifth wheel into their new lot. I watched him make three failed attempts from three different directions to get the trailer backed into the lot and positioned where it needed to be. I was reluctant to offer help. It wounds men's egos to have to be offered help to back up a trailer. Finally
I could see his frustration building so I walked over and offered help.. He was glad to accept. After three failed attempts over about a half an hour he was ready to give up. Yeah ... I know that feeling !  I jumped in his truck, backed the trailer in and positioned where they wanted it, then spent quite awhile chatting with them, welcoming them to the neighbourhood.

With Gord and Marcie gone, I did some chores in their yard. Tomorrow morning is garbage and recycling pickup, so I began preparing their garbage and recycling for pickup, then got a teensy bit carried away and did some very much needed "spring cleaning" in their yard. Some of us are OCD "neatniks", and ... well ... Gord isn't !

Today I sold our living room's rocker glider chair. I had recently placed online ads posting it for sale, and today a couple from nearby Cawston bought it. Now ... the living room chair that Joanne didn't like is gone, and she can buy a new one. WOO-HOO ... furniture shopping ... < rolling my eyes > !

Friday ; Sunny and very warm.

Joanne left at 11 AM this morning, with Marcie, headed to Kelowna Hospital. They returned home around suppertime. Gord is improving and may be released in another couple of days.

I had another lazy day. I chatted for a long time with the new neighbours across the street, for the second day in a row. I walked Bo and Ozzie a couple of times. I cancelled the online ads I had advertising our glider rocker for sale. I compiled notes for a Similkameen Trailer Towing client on annual rates in local RV parks, as I had committed to do when I transported him recently from Osoyoos to Juniper Beach.
I reconciled month end banking statements. I updated month end investment records.

AND ... one of my favourite things to do ... HA HA HA ... I watched the Blues Brothers movie late in the evening. AHHHH ... my favourite movie !

Saturday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne cooked a baked spaghettii / lasagna style dish in the Sun Oven today.

Busy day today. First thing this morning we collected our neighbour / friend Jeanine and headed to the annual yard sale at SunKatchers RV Park, first property to the east of us, headed towards Keremeos. Almost every year we attend the annual SunKatchers yard sale and ( I ) buy a surprising amount of stuff. This year was no exception. Joanne bought nothing. I bought everything. HA HA HA !  I bought a 12 volt fridge. Another one. We already have one. Now we have two. One for each vehicle. AND ... today we actually bought two of them. Jeanine also bought one today for her car. She bought a very nice digital camera. I bought some kitchen utensils. And a brand new Shaw Direct satellite TV service remote control. For fifty cents. Don’t you just love estate sales ? AND ... HA HA HA ... ANOTHER Shaw Direct satellite TV service dish. Now I have ...
< counting > ... five of them. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA ! It's sort of a long story. One on our Canadian home. And a spare, just in case. One on our Arizona home. And a spare, just in case. And now ... a brand new one, still in the box ... for one dollar ! Wait, wait ... I have a rationale !

These "old" Shaw Direct satellite dishes are in huge demand in Yuma, Arizona, for Canadian "Snowbirds". Because ... Bell Mobility dishes no longer work down south. AND ... "new" Shaw Direct HD dishes don't work down south. BUT ... the "old" Shaw Direct dishes ... like the brand new one in the box that I bought today ... work just fine in Arizona, and even Mexico. They routinely sell for twenty-five bucks in Yuma. SO ... buy for one dollar ( Canadian ), sell for twenty-five dollars ( American ). Almost as profitable as selling cat litter. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA ! AHHHHH ... once a retailer, always a retailer.

Back at home, Jeanine joined us for lunch. I installed her new fridge in her car. Including repairing it ! Yes, yes ... she bought one that had a blown fuse !  I installed our new one in our minivan. And I finally finished repairing the minivan sliding door lock.
I "configured" Jeanine's new camera, setting it up to be as "automatic" as possible. We gave Bo a bath. Then went next door, got Ozzie, and gave him a bath also. And, boy ... was he ever in need of a bath !

We took Bo and Ozzie for a long walk around the RV park, enjoying the fine weather. We chatted with neighbours, including the couple that bought our previous lot. They are doing some redevelopment of the lot. Joanne watered our plants and gardens. I paid some bills.

Gord remains in Kelowna Hospital. Today he was moved from Intensive Care to a regular ward bed. Current plan is perhaps release from hospital on Monday.

DSK