I did a bit of gardening / landscaping today. Trimmed my beard. Went bicycling. Took the dog ( and the wifey ) for a couple of long walks. Disassembled a couple of custom commissioned oil on canvas paintings of our 80's / 90's dog and cat Nikki and Toby. They were a cherished gift from my mother-in-law, about twenty-five years ago or so. We'll donate the frames to the Salvation Army Thrift Store. The oil on canvas paintings ... < sigh > ... will go to the garbage. I did some online bill paying. I posted my weekly journal to my blog. I updated our investments summary file. I ... uhhhh ... inexplicably .... browsed for condos in Steinbach, Manitoba. HA HA HA ! Maybe we'll move there in a few years.
Monday ; Mostly sunny, hot, humid.
Today I worked on removing the plumbing leading into and out of the water heater in the camper, the first step in my current project to fabricate and install an RV water heater winterization bypass kit. Around suppertime we went to the swimming pool to do cardiac rehab exercises.
Tuesday ; Mostly sunny, cool, windy.
I climbed up onto the roof of the camper to clean the inside / underside of the MaxxAir cover over the bathroom roof vent, but was unable to do so because of the manner in which I had installed the MaxxAir cover a few years ago. Oh, well ... < shrug >.
I removed and discarded a dead string of solar rope lights around our garden border.
I exchanged books at the park's library in the clubhouse. I went bicycling. I assisted Joanne in giving Ozzie a bath. He's partially white, with curly hair, and needs more frequent bathing than Bo did. I assisted Joanne in cleaning the deck off the living room using compressed air.
Wednesday ; Mix of sun and clouds, hot. We tried cooking supper in the Sun Oven today, but no sooner had we set up the Sun Oven and put supper in, than the sun kept disappearing behind clouds. We cooked supper indoors.
Joanne did a lot of laundry today. We did cardiac exercises in the swimming pool. We took the truck into town for brake service, then drove in the minivan to Hedley to check our "secret" wild apricot tree. HMPH ! It has no fruit this year. Like the apricot tree in our RV park's orchard. And like the apricot tree on our previous lot 89. HMPH ! Why are there no apricots this year ? ! ? Did the bumblebees not do their pollination job this year ? I harvested small “cherry” tomatoes and regular / large tomatoes from our garden today. I downloaded and reconciled June’s investment statements.
I attempted ... and failed ... to fabricate a new exhaust duct for our portable air conditioner unit in the living room. Isn’t it amazing how expensive pieces of equipment are brought to their demise by the cheapest and simplest of components ... that can not be replaced ? ! ?
Thursday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne cooked a beef pot roast in the Sun Oven today.
Did some online work researching options for consignment sale of four pieces of artwork we have for sale. Did some research on travel medical insurance for next winter, made much more complicated ( read that as "expensive" ) by my triple bypass surgery less than a year ago. Went bicycling. Harvested tomatoes. Walked the dog. Read in bed. Avoided working in the heat. Discussed a trailer towing job with a potential new client, an RV dealer north of Kelowna.
Friday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature 97º F / 36º C when I picked up the truck in Keremeos on the way home from Penticton around 5 PM.
We left home this morning at 10 AM heading for Penticton where Joanne had an 11 AM appointment for a pedicure at the cosmetology school. I dropped her off at the cosmetology school and ran errands until it was time to pick her up about an hour and a half later. We finished our errands about 4 PM. It was Joanne's idea to buy milkshakes at Dairy Queen for the long, hot ride back home. Brilliant idea, my dear !
The truck's minor repairs cost well over a thousand dollars ! And it will have to go back in again next week for a new problem discovered.
Saturday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature around 100º F. I made candied Rainbow Trout in the Sun Oven today.
My chores today started with taking a photo of our next door neighbour's tallest weed ; five feet four inches ! ! ! And sending the photo to our Homeowners Association's Board of Directors, with a note of ... < ahem > ... displeasure ! I repaired and replaced the minivan's parking spot's marker pole ... < scowl > ... knocked down by Joanne yesterday as she drove into our yard ! I torqued the truck's lug nuts, installed some
( but not all ... still awaiting receipt from Amazon ! ) of the new valve extenders, and reinstalled the wheel liners and hub caps. I installed a new fuel filter in the truck. I did some measuring and configuring of plumbing modifications required in the camper.
At 5 PM we drove into town and had an early dinner at Samosa Garden, the Indian restaurant attached to Sanderson Farms produce stand. It was the first part of a "big surprise" date I had planned. After supper we drove to Cawston to attend an intimate "unplugged" concert by Valdy. Yes, yes ... Valdy ... in Cawston ! In a venue that seats only a hundred people. And ... < sputter > ... it was not sold out ! It was a "last minute" booking arranged by the Historic Grist Mill in Keremeos. And it was initially planned to be held at the Historic Grist Mill. But ... some manner of scheduling conflict with a wedding resulted in Valdy being moved to the Cawston Community Hall.
WOW ! What a treat to be entertained by Valdy that "up close and personal". We have attended Valdy performances at Winnipeg's Centennial Concert Hall and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, venues seating thousands of people, over a period stretching more than forty years ! There was no sound system in the Cawston Community Hall. Valdy did not want the stage lights on, he wanted the hall's main lights left on so that he could see and interact with the very small audience. And he turned the concert into an "every song has a story" treat.
What a great "big surprise" date. Joanne loved it as much as I did.
Well ... except for the late evening heartburn I had from Chicken Tikka Masala !
DSK
No comments:
Post a Comment