May 5 to 11, 2019

Sunday ; Happy 18^th birthday to Joanne’s niece Amelia

Sunny and warm.

This afternoon I did some cleaning and maintenance work in the shed. Joanne did some yard work, cleaning and weeding our rock slope “front” yard. Late in the afternoon I went to the clubhouse to use Wi-Fi. < sigh > Government of Canada and Revenue Canada account access drama ! In the evening I reviewed our winter batch of mail.

Monday ; Penticton

Sunny and warm.

We left home at 10 AM this morning heading for Penticton. Joanne had an appointment with our family doctor. While she was seeing the doctor I walked over to a nearby optician and had the missing nose piece replaced on my sunglasses. When she was finished at the doctor’s we ran some errands until it was time for me to go to my 1 PM appointment with my gastroenterologist. When I was finished there we went to Dairy Queen for a late lunch.

After lunch we spent the rest of the afternoon running more errands. While Joanne shopped at Wal-Mart I went shopping for a new water pump for the camper at two RV dealers. I didn’t buy one today. Then … while Joanne bought groceries at Superstore I took the minivan for an oil change and fuel filter replacement. We left Penticton shortly after 5 PM and were home shortly after 6 PM.

After a late supper I did monthly computer backup. And attempted … and failed … to repair my WaterPik. Joanne was eager to watch Love After Lockup at 10 PM. When we tuned to the T & E network to watch that show … HEY ! The free preview of that network had expired. Joanne was very unhappy ! HA HA HA !

Tuesday ; Joanne’s 18^th anniversary as a cancer survivor

Sunny and warm.

Joanne worked on cleaning the inside of the camper, especially the range top. 

I prepared my bicycle for summer use. While we were walking Ozzie I initiated a conversation with a neighbour’s ex-husband, driving a commercial van indicating that he was a certified gas fitter. As a result, and after a visit to our home to see our propane installation, I hired him to complete some propane installation modifications required by recent regulatory changes. < sigh > Bureaucracy ! ! !

In the afternoon I went to the clubhouse to work online. Then we went to the swimming pool to do cardiac rehab aquatic exercising. In the evening I worked on monthly updating of our investment files.

Wednesday ; Sunny and warm.

This morning I mounted a new carbon monoxide detector. The old one died of old age. HMPH ! They now manufacture these detectors to “self-destruct” after eight years. I mounted the new one on the hallway wall, and removed the old one from the hallway ceiling.

After lunch I replaced the air filter in the minivan, then we drove into Keremeos to run some errands. First stop was Napa Auto Parts where I bought new wiper blades for the minivan, and had them installed. The price of wiper blades at Napa is higher than at Wal-Mart but … they install them for free. Sometimes I’m willing to pay for that convenience. And I’m becoming more and more willing the older 

I get ! We drove to Cawston and bought bedding plants ; tomatoes for me and herbs for Joanne. We returned to Keremeos where I went to the pharmacy and bought colonoscopy preparation medications. < sigh > We crossed the street and went to the grocery store. Didn’t buy anything and … bickered. < another sigh > Bickered all the way home. And for awhile after returning home, as well. < sigh >

Joanne planted her herbs. Around ( everybody else’s ) supper time I went to the clubhouse to work online. I’m becoming impatient for installation of Internet service at our home. I returned home to have supper and watch Survivor followed by Amazing Race. Late in the evening I reconciled monthly investment statements.

Thursday ; Sunny and very warm. How warm ? So warm that when I got dressed this morning I didn’t have to put a shirt on until … 10 PM ! HA HA HA !

MMMMM … first meal of barbecued jerk chicken and potato salad this summer season !

We put in our vegetable and herb gardens today. Joanne did most of the work. It included connecting and routing an irrigation / sprinkler hose through the tomato garden, the onion planters, the strawberry garden, and criss-crossed around the raised vegetable garden. I also planted some tomatillo seeds from Mexico in small “starter” pots, but it’s probably too late in the spring to start them from seed. Although … the difficult to decipher / translate Spanish instructions on the package indicate that it’s okay to sow the seeds at any time except October, November, and December. HA HA HA ! I suppose they hadn’t anticipated their seeds being planted in Canada !

At 6 PM we went to the swimming pool for a cardiac rehab aquatics exercise session. HMPH … pool was kind of crowded today ! And some of our “neighbours” seem to NOT be the sharpest knives in the drawer ! ! !

Friday ; Sunny and very warm.

HMPH ! Somewhat a frustrating day ! Replenished toiletries in the camper. Refilled the camper’s freshwater tank. Removed the camper’s water heater’s sacrificial anode and flushed mineral deposits out of the water heater tank. Repaired the water heater’s broken pressure relief valve. Then the frustrations began ! I removed the “winterization bypass” kit ; two valves, many fittings, and connecting hoses. Late last fall, when I attempted to winterize the water heater, the winterization bypass procedures did not work as they should have. Today 

I removed everything, and diagnosed the problem. HMPH ! Improper installation ! HMPH ! Installed by me ! ! ! In my defense … I WAS recuperating from cardiac bypass surgery at the time !

I determined the problem … and the solution ! HMPH ! Will require some additional hardware and plumbing fittings. I reinstalled the original / 

non-winterization bypass plumbing, which I had saved. When we go to the Lower Mainland area next week to pick up our custom made mattress I will shop for RV parts at a large RV dealer in Chilliwack. I will also have to buy a new water pump for the camper. The current one has “died” after only three and a half years.

Next job was to reinstall our living room’s portable air conditioner. It is vented via a hose and vent outlet installed in a plexiglass panel I fabricated years ago. I fit the plexiglass panel into a partially opened living room window. While installing the old, brittle piece of plexiglass … I broke it ! SHIT ! When I fabricated the plexiglass panel about five years ago … I had enough material to make three panels. The two spares were buried deep at the rear … and top … of our hallway closet. With assistance from Joanne, we found the two spare panels.

To make a long story shorter … while working on the two old, brittle, spare panels, I broke each of them ! < sigh > When we took Ozzie for a walk I went into the woodworking shop and found a scrap piece of wood panelling. I fabricated a new air conditioner vent panel using that piece of scrap wood. Sometime in the near future Joanne will paint it.

Late in the evening we watched another episode of the first season of Downton Abbey.

Saturday ; Mostly sunny, warm, a bit humid.

Joanne and I both worked on sorting and replacing clothing in the camper. I did some yard maintenance. I did some truck maintenance. I did more “return to Canada” spring tasks.

At 6 PM we went to the swimming pool and did a cardiac rehab aquatics exercise session. On our way home we stopped to chat with some neighbours and learned that … < sputter > ... another neighbour, around our age, in good health, died a few days ago … of a heart attack ! < sigh > I am very fortunate … and extremely grateful … to even have the opportunity to do post surgical cardiac rehabilitation exercise sessions !

DSK