All Washed Up.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Last night was the same as the two before where I barely got any sleep and yet I was wide awake and out of bed before 7:30 this morning. It only took a few minutes for Kathy to sense my absence and she was soon joining me in the living room. We enjoyed our breakfast talking about what we wanted to accomplish today and watching the Weather Channel at the same time. Next we spent well over an hour reading at the computers before moving on to other things. 

One of two Zucchinis that was used in our muffins.

Last night while we were visiting the kids Melissa gave Kathy a couple of huge Zucchinis out of her garden. With all the rain our district has been getting all her vegetables are really growing. Unfortunately Kathy also sprained her wrist yesterday so she needed help in the kitchen. While she added the dry ingredients into a bowl I was on chopping and grating duty. Once that was finished I hand mixed all the ingredients together until Kathy took over to spoon it into the muffin tin.

At this point I went back outside to try and repair a circuit on the truck but even after lots of spraying the bolts with WD40 there was just no getting the job done. I’ll have to get more involved with it time wise but not until we come back home next week. 

These Zucchini Walnut muffins were so good.
One disappeared. Kathy said it was used for quality control evaluation. 

Back in the apartment Kathy was already getting lunch ready while I changed from my dirty clothes. It was a simple meal of chicken noodle soup but the dessert was the fresh Homemade Zucchini and Walnut muffins that we’d just made and they were still warm. They were delicious!

After lunch my duties changed to doing the laundry. Since we won’t be here for the weekend and we had some things from the trailer that needed washing today was a good day to get it done. I had the usual waiting for washers and dryers and other tenants wanting to talk but it all got done.

The afternoon had slipped away all too quickly and it was now time to start getting things ready for supper. Everyone knows the best way to cook any kind of meat is on a grill and in our case our Weber Q. I grilled a half dozen small sized chicken breast on the grill while Kathy was busy making a veggie stir-fry on the stove. When the chicken was finished I sliced four of them into small cubes and placed it atop of the stir-fry. The other two will make sandwiches for lunch soon. The grilled chicken added to the flavor of the meal. 

Grilled Chicken on Stir-fry

Tomorrow we have packing to start and a few errands to run. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

The World's Great Proverbs

It is better to be born lucky than rich.

This Blog's for The Birds.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

For reasons unknown after spending time working outside yesterday I only managed to have short naps throughout the night no real deep sleep. Kathy fared slightly better and was much more alert than I was at the breakfast table. 

Once breakfast was over I headed outside to work on the truck but as soon as I touched the driver’s door most of the small pond that had gathered from last night’s rain storm on the Toneau cover came running off. Since I couldn’t make things any worse I lifted the cover so that I could get to my tool box. With the appropriate tools in hand I now had a waiting game because the truck was dripping of water and the pavement below it was soaked which was where I had to work under it.

Figuring that I’d go work on the computer for a bit I was about to start walking back to the apartment when I spotted something move in the tall grass on the other side of the fence. I stopped to look and couldn’t believe my eyes that I was looking at a wild turkey. I went back to the apartment and told Kathy of my discovery then grabbed the camera to take a couple of pictures. Back near the truck I was in for a bigger surprise when I spotted the turkey with a brood of 7 or 8 young all staying close to her but trying to stay in the cover of the high grasses as well. 

After taking a number of shots I brought the camera back upstairs where Kathy suggested that I sort my containers from the trailer. It didn’t take long at all before I had reduced a reasonable amount of things from each container and had the containers all repacked. Once lunch was over I had to hand carry the bins out to the truck with only one returning to the trailer and the other two being stored. I also tried working under the truck but the screws were too corroded so I’ll try again soon after I spray it with WD40. 

This was also a day for catching up by calling my sister Anna in London to wish her a Happy Birthday but unfortunately only got her answering machine. So “Happy Birthday Anna!” We’ll talk to you soon. Next I spoke with Neil who was also in the same trade category as myself at Ford’s. We’d last spoken just before Christmas 2013. We spoke for nearly an hour but we’ll be getting together for a coffee sometime soon. 

Kathy and I had supper around 4:00 which is early because we had a number of things to do tonight. First we stopped at the trailer and I replaced the one container we’ll be carrying for this time and rearrange a few others. Then heading towards Amherstburg we stopped in at Sun Parlour Trailer to drop off a number of RV related parts that I have changed in our trailer and were only taking room in the basement. Rob will make use of them and when we need something to be ordered he’ll normally give us a good deal on it. 

We continued on to our son Kevin and daughter-in-law Melissa’s for our weekly visit. We had a couple of Rubber Maid containers to give them that I had used in the trailer before. Kevin will make good use of them and it’s the least we can do for them letting us work on the trailer in their driveway. We had our usual fun visit however we had to start closing windows really quick when suddenly the rain started coming down in sheets. 

The rain had ended by the time we left to come home however by the time we got five miles down the road the rain was back and continued until we reached home. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Office Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes

The cumulative time that office workers spent waiting for elevators in the last twelve months totaled 92 years across 16 cities.

IBM Smarter Buildings Study, 2010

All Tied Up.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Yesterday’s fresh air definitely helped us to sleep the way our bodies were meant to sleep soundly. Sleeping that well meant that we were up around 7:30 and feeling quite refreshed. After finishing our breakfast we didn’t spend any time at the computers because we had a number of things we needed to accomplish today. Before leaving Kathy took the time to start cooking our supper in the slow cooker. 

The sky was the same as yesterday breezy with a high of 72F.

Our first stop today was at the trailer in the storage yard. Kathy and I had discussed a way of further downsizing what was being carried in the basement. The plan is to go through three containers and putting only what we might use in a single year from all the containers into one thus removing some weight and opening space in the basement. The other containers will be stored until the contents are needed and again only what might be used for a single year will be carried. 

I used the top of the wood shed as a workbench.

We are also leaving on a short trip this weekend but not taking the trailer. Kathy feels more secure traveling in the truck than in the car for a long trip so I removed the debris brush and a few other things and left them in the trailer. 

Berm that we added the chain link fence to.

Our friend Kathie had called us yesterday and asked if I could move something for her. Stopping at her apartment she simply showed me what she needed and I took care of it. We also got to see what she has been doing in her spare time lately. 

Sanford checking out my work.

The next stop was at the Dollar store in the Tecumseh Mall that was closed on Sunday because we were too early. Kathy got everything on her list and we were on our way but having gotten up and eaten breakfast earlier this morning we were starting to feel hungry. A quick stop at McDonald’s for a Bacon Egger helped to tide us over until supper. 

This is the reason for having to add the fence.

We now made our way back to our daughter Karen’s so that I could continue working on the chain link fence. As I said the berm the fence was mounted on was not that evenly graded so there were spots that the fence was too high off the ground. This fence was being put up to meet the building codes because of their swimming pool and those spots had to be filled in. Working with only a small piece of leftover chain link fence I managed to slowly fill in all the high spots. Tyler helped me to string the lower tension wire before I finished adding the turnbuckle and last of the securing wires. 

Weaving many small pieces of chain link together I filled in all the gaps.

Having worked nonstop on the fence today Kathy and I were back at shortly after 3:00. I took the time to get our mail before getting a cart to empty the truck. I smiled when I gave Kathy the mail because it was filled with coupons for the area fast food restaurants. 

Our forecasted afternoon rain didn't appear until after supper. 

I was the one who was tired enough to need a Snap after all that work today. By the time I woke up Kathy was serving supper that had been cooking while we were away. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

The World's Great Proverbs

An idle brain is the devil's workshop.

Getting Fenced in With Cool Temperatures.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

As predicted in last night’s blog we had no trouble what so ever falling asleep but we both had problems staying that way. Even with the sound of rain beating against our windows we both had a hard time shutting off our thought processes. Of course then the body wants to make up for that loss by sleeping past 8:30 this morning. 

My better side filling inthe fence at the top of the berm.

Once breakfast was finished it didn’t take us long before we headed over to our daughter Karen’s to work on a chain link fence we started installing back in June. Even though we did a good job of installing the chain link the Berm that it was installed on was not nice and smooth on both sides. This meant that on each end and the center there was a gap that had to be filled below the fencing. Bit by bit I filled in the gaps while Karen trimmed some of the nearby shrubs but was available to help support the small sections of fence that I was adding in. Kathy did some reading. Photographing and entertaining Sanford who kept wanting to help with the fence while she visited with Karen.   

Kayla and granddaughter Kylla on their way out shopping.

We stopped for lunch around 1:00 with Karen serving us some nicely toasted sandwiches cooked in the Panini press. We spoke with Kylla and her friend Kayla who were on their way out to do some shopping. Tyler was feeling much better today slowly getting over the Chicken Pox. 

Tyler playing with Sanford at lunch.

I went back outside and worked on the fence running the lower stabilizer wire on the first half of the fence. The reason this job is taking so long is because I’m using up the last little bit of the chain link fencing to fill in the holes. I stopped shortly after 3:00 for the day just before we came home. Today’s temperature never got out of the 60s all day and with the cold breeze Kathy asked if it was supposed to S@#w today.   

The wind kept the flag fairly straight all day.

I finished the afternoon on the phone taking care of business. Tomorrow we have to stop at a friend of ours to lend a hand before we go back to Karen’s to try and finish more of the fence. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

The collar on your dog cost more than what you're wearing.

A Day of Rest?

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

After all the hauling of containers of trailer supplies from and to the truck yesterday I was not about to argue when Kathy said it was bed time after watching the 11 o’clock News. The old saying is that Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest and the way I slept I was definitely trying to do just that because I only woke once at 7:30 and when my eyes totally came into focus it was past 8:30. That is so unlike me sleeping that late.

While enjoying our breakfast and watching the Weather Channel we were shown that our region was due to be hit by severe thunderstorms starting later in the afternoon. I reminded Kathy that I wanted to just drop off the containers at the trailer before it started to storm. There were a few other places we needed to stop at so we didn’t dawdle and were out the door fairly quick. 

Our first stop was to locate a Soccer field over on McHugh Street where our Grandson Matthew will be playing soccer in a fundraising event this evening. Once we knew its location we went to the Tecumseh Mall so Kathy could get some supplies at the dollar store. We were there shortly after 10:00 but the sign in the window said the mall didn’t open until noon on Sunday. 

It was nearly 10:30 by the time we arrived at the trailer and Kathy said that I should be putting things straight into the basement not dropping them off inside the trailer. I reminded her that I needed to completely empty the basement, clean it and then reorganize it before I could do that. Kathy said it meant I would be handling things twice instead of just getting it done and over with. 

Our nearly empty basement this morning.

Luckily Kathy had brought a book to read in her purse and with the use of the awning and a camp chair she was comfortable and able to lend me a hand when I occasionally needed one. She even snapped a picture with her cell phone when I had the basement partially empty. Luckily I had chosen plastic containers because around 12:30 we had a thirty second rain shower but nothing got wet. We finally were all packed up by 1:30 and leaving the storage yard.

We were both needing something to eat and we needed to stop at Walmart so we had a light snack at their in store McDonald’s restaurant. Kathy finally found the new Face-cloths she was looking for and we on our way.

We stopped at Canadian Tire so I could purchase some short load tie straps that I use for holding our batteries in place with. They have carried those straps for years and now they have suddenly discontinued carrying them. We went to Princess Auto and I was able to find and purchase them there. 

Granddaughter Kylla.

Greg and I hanging the Chain-link fence in June.

We made a brief stop at our daughter Karen’s as Kathy had forgotten to give Kylla something the other day. We also talked for a while longer and Karen asked if I could help finish trimming the chain link fence on the berm that we started back in June. Greg had worked the day shift today and was doubling back for midnights tonight. Tyler has more Pocks but not nearly as bad as someone that never had the vaccine for it. 

Grandson Tyler.

When we got back to the apartment Kathy checked her E-mail to see that Matthew’s soccer game was being rescheduled towards the end of August. With the severe weather forecasted for our area the association was looking on the side of Safety to protect the players thus cancelling tonight’s game. 

Hearing the distant rumble of thunder I chose to grill the hamburgers we were having for supper on the Weber around 4:45. Kathy made the sides to go with it. As we sat down to eat our meal the skies opened up and you would swear it was close to midnight by looking outside right then.

Even though the trailer basement is much more organized there are still things that I’d like to purge that will give us more open space but who knows when I’ll get back to it with this weather. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

A man was sitting in a bar when he kept hearing a voice telling him how handsome he was.

"Who is saying that?" he asked the barman.

"It's the peanuts sir- they are complimentary!"

Haul and Sort, and More Planning.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

In response to Marcia Weaver’s comment about Tyler having the Chicken Pox at the age of twelve “Yes” he did have a vaccine when he was an infant. Talking to Karen this morning it was confirmed that it is definitely the Chicken Pox and more of the blisters are forming and the ones he had yesterday are filling with puss. 

Twelve year old Tyler not happy having Chicken Pox during his summer vacation.

Both Kathy and I tossed and turned the better part of the night not only causing us to sleep in this morning but to not feel rested when we finally woke. Once breakfast was over we took the time to do our morning blog reading before I headed back to the trailer.

All these containers came from the trailer basement

I said yesterday I never did get back to the trailer to clean up my tools after working there all day on Thursday. Since I had other things that had to go in both the containers I needed to bring them home. Luckily I was back to the apartment just before lunch so after I’d brought the tool box and container inside Kathy chose to serve lunch so I wouldn’t have to stop once I got started. 

Kathy had been busy doing further research for our 2015/16 winter trip and once lunch was over she returned to that task. Myself I had to finish sorting the boxes in the living room that came out of the trailer basement. It seemed that the sorting and repacking would never end and with all the containers starting to pile up I needed to start hauling a few loads to the truck. 

By this time it was approaching supper time and Kathy started making a Spanish rice dish while I grilled a beautiful Salmon fillet on the Weber. Every mouthful was delicious and there’s still some Spanish rice that we can have for lunch tomorrow. We finished supper by watching the 6 o’clock News before doing the dishes. 

We finally have our living room back.

It was nearly 7:30 by the time I got the last of the containers loaded in the truck so they can be loaded in the trailer tomorrow. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

You stifled a yawn during your marriage vows.

Busy Birthday and Chicken Pox.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

After having such a busy day yesterday rebuilding the bed in the trailer Kathy and I didn’t have any problems sleeping last night. What we did have a problem with was waking up this morning. I actually got up after Kathy this morning and feeling quite stiff in my back because I haven’t done that kind of work in a while.

Kylla unwrapping her gifts.

 It was past 9:00 by the time we finished breakfast so we finished our coffees at the computers. It almost felt strange getting caught up on my reading in the morning considering I had chores to do. 

Kylla holding the Birthday Cards that both grandmothers chose.

It was just after 10:00 this morning that I had all the laundry sorted when I remembered that I had run to a Ford dealership to get some parts. The other night when I activated the windshield washer nothing happened. Thinking it was low fluid I added some with the same result. Looking under the hood fluid was spraying all over but through the nozzles. When I touched the fluid line it fell down because the inside connection had dried the plastic with time and just broke off. Going to Rose City Ford I was back in less than thirty minutes with the new parts. 

Kylla with a simple Ice Cream Cake.

Now back to the laundry I managed to get all the dirty clothes from before our trip the last of our trip and since our trip into the wash. I came back to the apartment to find Kathy researching more places to visit and see but not for this year or this coming winter but for the winter of 2015/16. She really does like to plan ahead and she doesn’t want to miss a thing in the area because who knows if we’ll ever get back there. 

Greg's parents Rose and Ray

Kathy and I

Once I had the wash in the dryers we had our lunch before I had to go fold the clothes. When I got down there I found one of the dryers had not activated so after I folded the rest of the clothes I had to wait for the rest of it to be dried. 

Kylla and boyfriend Noah.

With the clothes all put away I then went out and installed the new washer nozzles on the truck. Kathy had cooked a nice Lasagna with a nice bean salad for a side for supper. 

Sanford trying to see if any of the gifts were his.

By 6:00 we were over at our daughter Karen and son-in-law Greg’s to celebrate our granddaughter Kylla’s 19^th birthday. It’s hard to believe how fast the grand children are starting to grow into young adults. Greg’s parents Ray and Rose were also there to help with the celebration as was Noah Kylla’s boyfriend. 

Tyler being examine by Karen and Greg

After the cake was served and the gifts were opened Tyler expressed to his dad that he was experiencing a lot of itchiness on his back. When Greg looked at it he wasn’t sure but by the time everyone else had seen it and Google was referenced we knew that 12 year old Tyler was coming down with Chicken Pox. The worst part of it is that his two sisters Ashley and Kylla have not had Chicken Pox and they were all together for the last few days. Chances are very great we’ll have to young ladies wanting to kill their brother in the next couple of weeks. 

Sister Ashley scared to think she could be getting sick soon.

Sister Kylla Not liking the news.

I never did get back to the trailer to clean up my tools or finish sorting the boxes in the living room but I’m sure that won’t be all I’ll be doing tomorrow. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

The World's Great Proverbs

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Back To The Beginning.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Not quite that far back! Back in 2011 when Kathy and I bought our Avalanche trailer something we had seen at the factory in Goshen Indiana wasn’t on our trailer. Storage under the bed. The first day we had the trailer we were busy filling in paperwork because we had imported the trailer into Canada from Michigan. The second day we towed it out to our son Kevin’s home where for the next week and a half we started making modifications to the trailer to better suite us. Adding shelves making storage cabinets for our CPAP machines and making storage under the bed. 

Bedding and mattress being stored in rear bedroom.

Kathy got to bed right after the news last night but it was nearly 1:00 in the morning before I got to bed. We both woke up just before 8:00 and were out the door by 9:00. Since we have returned from our trip on Sunday this has been the first day where temperatures would be comfortable enough to work in the trailer without being plugged in.

Stuff from under our bed being stored on a bunk for the day.

The work I needed to do today was to take apart almost the all the modifications I made to the bed for two reasons. The CPAP storage on my side of the bed had lost its rear panel and when the slide was being moved the panel was destroyed. The second reason was the remote switch for our Inverter had failed so I had to rewire for a different type of control switch. 

Kathy had brought some mail to go through at the trailer as well as a book to read after she did some rearranging in the linen closet and some cleaning in the cupboards. She was there to give me a hand when I moved the mattress to the rear room and most importantly to give moral support, make certain I was okay and drinking enough fluids. 

Today I had to remove the storage I had built in order to do repairs.

By 10:00 the bed was torn down to less than it was when we first had the trailer. By 11:30 I had started running the new wiring and then I realized that I’d forgotten the wood paneling I needed to repair the CPAP cabinet. 

New wiring (orange) for Inverter remote switch.

Kathy stayed with the trailer while I went to a nearby pizza shop and ordered a Greek pizza that would serve as lunch and supper. I went to the apartment grabbed a few cold sodas from the fridge and the piece of wood that I’d forgotten earlier. The pizza was ready when I returned so it wasn’t long before I got back to the trailer. 

We enjoyed our lunch and it wasn’t long before I returned to my chore. Kathy captured a few pictures of my routing the wires down to the basement so that I can rewire the Inverter switch. Next I had to cut the panel to size and mount it on the CPAP compartment. I used wood screws this time because the brads I had used the first time were the reason the back came off. 

Door on side of bed for CPAP compartment.
Wire for new inverter Switch.

Storage under our bed that we didn't have from the factory.

The big question I was asking is why things always come apart much easier than when they are being assembled. It was 5:00 when Kathy insisted I stop for supper. The cold pizza tasted just as good cold as when it was hot at lunch. 

The bed all back together and staged.

By 6:00 everything was back together the bed made and everything stored back where it should be. I was too tired and achy after having torn the bed apart and rebuild it in one day to pack up the tool box so I see a return trip tomorrow. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Office Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes

A camel is a horse designed by a committee.

Anonymous