Dec 2 - finishing up

Perhaps I'll go back and change the title -- couldn't think of anything else.

What did I finish up -- why the in-ground sprinkler of course. The wiring did not take much time and the setup is simple. I ran a hose from the end of the one valve to the already-buried drip hose to connect to Sandy's work from last year. It all works and is much more reliable than the timers attached to the hose bibs.

I also finished up another little project. The doorbell button had died, rusted away inside. You might think that this is a small project but it's amazing how something small can turn into two home depot trips. I had bought the sturdiest-looking button at home depot -- costing $24 (silly ?) and tried to install that. It had a plastic back plate which you attach to the house and a little plastic clip that engaged the front piece which was mostly metal. Well, the plastic back plate was so flimsy that it distorts when you screw it into the wall and then the little hook won't engage. After an hour or so of playing around with this, drilling new holes into the brick wall etc. I gave up. That little clip wouldn't engage. There was no room inside of the switch for any excess wire -- if there, the forward pressure would cause the bell to ring. All of this screwing around (no pun intended) I did two days ago.

So -- yesterday I took the switch back, told them that it was defective, which it was, and picked up a sturdy all-plastic $2.50 switch which installed and worked fine. That just goes to show you that more expensive isn't necessarily better.

While at Home Depot we also looked at the other sprinkler/dripper parts. Sandy will replace the drip hoses, which are not that efficient or consistent, with individual drippers at each shrub. That small project will wait for January/February.

At the same time that we went to Home Depot we also made a run to the wine store. Sandy was running low and we both picked up some value wines. Sandy brought home one wine that was $8.something that she loves and is going back today to pick up some more.

I spent some time on the phone with Arlene late yesterday trying to get her PC working. There is a file corrupted on her hard drive and I'm trying to walk her through Windows Setup to repair the drive. We ran out of time yesterday but will continue today at some point.

I heard back from Bonnie Matthews, who is back up north after spending a couple of days in Barrie with her daughter. Apparently there is a ton of snow up north but the lake is not yet frozen. We've been plowed twice already. If the weather stays cold this should be fun -- of course there was snow when we arrived last year too but then we had a thaw. Time will tell.

There is also some bad news to report -- Delores Robinson called Bonnie to let her know that her husband Jack had fallen and hit his head and was in the hospital. Due to internal bleeding the doctors were only giving him a 15% chance of recovery -- however, when I talked to Delores, which was probably three days later, he had partially come-to and was semi lucid, knowing who was in the room, the date ... the doctor was calling it a miracle. I had mentioned in earlier blogs that Jack and Delores had traveled out to Vancouver Island for the winter ...

I'm not sure what will happen now. That will depend on whether Jack recovers and even if he does, whether they'll be able to drive back. That seems like a long shot at best. Bonnie said that almost the first thing that Delores talked about was the need to sell their cottage ... which they really should have done a while ago ... a "fire sale" is not the way to go. I talked to Delores on Dec 1st. After talking to her I called Bonnie, who was at her daughter Pam's at the time, to give her an update. I'll call Delores again either today or tomorrow to see how he's doing.

It's tough growing old. Sandy commented that as hard as it is, going suddenly like my Mom and Dad is preferable. I don't know. There are obviously pluses and minuses. Going quickly, with enough time to get your affairs in order, would be my preference, vs going suddenly. Then again, at some stage there are fewer affairs to get in order !

Speaking of Mom and Dad -- in the first videos that we watched yesterday Arlene was doing a bicycle ride in Solvang and then they went whale watching in Mexico -- Baja California. This video was less than an hour long.

The second video packed enough content that I had to take notes:

-- Aug 94 anniversary party for my Uncle Phil and Aunt Ruth at my cousin Michael's place -- their kids, some grandkids, my Aunt Joan and Uncle Rog, Kelly & John, Bobbie & Paul -- not Tracy nor Scott; Philip & Sara & Meghan & Olivia; Ruth's sister Thelma, many friends

-- Sep 94 -- at our house in Radnor (Philadelphia) then onto Brigantine Island with Jeffrey and then Willie and Flory

-- May 95 -- a long, long video of a fashion show in the Georgian Mall in Barrie and then we finally saw the point -- Meaghan was in it. Meaghan was perhaps 10 at the time? I'm not sure ... the highlight (this is unfair) was after she did her thing and was standing on stage with many other people an arm-straight-out nose-picking ... we cracked up ... Sandy called it drilling.

-- next at Philip's in Barrie -- Jeffrey and the girls in a water fight.

-- back to Radnor and a long video of Jeffrey doing rocket launches

-- Jul 95 -- at the cottage -- Jeffrey and the girls fishing -- looks like Sandy came up from Radnor with Stef and Jeffrey, I was not in evidence. Stef is driving the boat while Jeffrey is waterskiing and Dad is taking a video.

-- Jack Robinson, Delores and an older lady, don't know who

-- more of the girls fishing

-- Jeffrey playing soccer -- obviously they must have been back in Radnor

-- a brief shot from Stef's wedding Nov 95 around the dinner.

-- back in Florida, presumably early 1996, with houses and boats somewhere in the Ft. Lauderdale area I presume.

We have another dozen videos to watch. We're only about half-way. I'm further along though in copying them -- 5 more to go. I will finish up those either today or tomorrow. I have 6 copies of most -- Arlene, Philip, Stef, David, Jeffrey & Sue -- and will make the sixth copy of the remaining and then start packing them up.

Today, I will probably go for a ride. It will be cool -- it was about 40F overnight and is due to get into the 60's today. Sandy has a dermatologist appointment that she made in September.

Dinners -- we had shrimp on Monday, which are always great here, very fresh and crunchy, an easy & inexpensive meal. Last night we had Pompano, which was also good -- a very soft fleshed fish that I joked "tastes like chicken" -- and with your eyes closed, it almost did, surprisingly so. Tonight we will be having Mangrove Snapper -- something new that was at the fish store yesterday.

Our plan is to leave here on Saturday the 13th, arriving up north on the 14th. Sandy will be going down to Toronto on the 16th for an appointment early on the 17th, ballet that night, returning on the 18th. I will likely stay up north, but that remains to be seen. Our traveling date could change depending on the weather forecast ... if we have to delay a day then we'll probably delay by two and I'll drop Sandy in Oakville and go north, picking her up on the 18th ... unless she takes the bus ... but that ain't going to happen !!

That's it ...