Day 17: Saturday Chores (1/22/22)

 Laundry day again, though I began to wish we had given in and simply used the deluxe laundromat in Mathis, five minutes away. Washing everything from socks to jeans in our trailer sink makes me appreciate again the work my great-grandmothers (or their servants) did on laundry day: boiling pots of water, stirring clothes in it with sticks, wringing them dry, and hanging them out on the line if it was sunny weather. Laundry was a full-day affair.

Phil kept busy too:


Actually, he was very handy in fixing the soap dispenser of the sink, applying enzyme pellets to our black and grey water tanks, and scavenging firewood from empty campsites. And he walks at least an hour daily, does 200 pushups, and works out with his weights.


So he deserves a little rest.

The weather was again chilly. I ran in the morning, down to the lake, and caught a glimpse of sunshine in an otherwise grey day.


There’s not much else to report about this day. We watched the final episode of All Creatures Great and Small (season 2) this afternoon, then felt so lazy that all we had for dinner was tuna sandwiches, and we went to bed early. Started another audiobook by Rosamunde Pilcher. Great comfort food on nights when I can’t sleep.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 43: Covid? (2/17/22)

Image
 Today was a wash for me. I stayed in bed with chills, headache, body aches, and fatigue, not even caring that I wasn’t able to enjoy this day of glorious sunshine. Phil went into town and shopped at Costco and Trader Joe’s, then worked out at the Y before returning. But I had a faithful companion. Actually, both dogs lay on the bed with me all day, commiserating.  Thank goodness for audiobooks, which helped pass the hours as they dragged by. A friend had recommended Ellie Dwyer’s Great Escape , which I downloaded from Hoopla as an audiobook, and it got me through the day. I began to feel stronger and less achey after a salmon and broccoli dinner, but then developed a muscle spasm in my back from lying on the bed for two days. It was much worse lying down, so I sat up and watched movies ( A Little Chaos and Effie Gray , both on Netflix and both highly recommended) until 2 a.m. All those stories were a way of making lemonade out of this lemon of a day.
Read more

Day 30: Hiking toward Picacho Peak (2/4/22)

Image
 This morning we chose to explore the Calloway trail, which climbs up to one of the saddles of Picacho Peak. It was early enough to be chilly, so we donned coats and gloves and drove to the trailhead. It was a bit of a steep climb in parts, but nothing too strenuous, and led to an impressive view of the other side of the valley. Lovely to be out in the invigorating air, with early sunlight glancing off the mountains. Exercise accomplished, the rest of the day was given over to reading, napping, cooking, and watching a video. I managed a meat loaf and roast potatoes in the Instant Pot (air fryer)—so glad I brought that bulky thing along.  Watched a touching 2017 movie with Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, I think called The Soul at Night . Quite moving for those of a certain age, and perhaps those younger too.
Read more

Day 46: Santa Barbara and Jalama Beach! (2/20/22)

Image
 We were on the road by 8:45, hoping to cruise through the Los Angeles freeways. It was busier than we’d hoped, and Phil had a trying time of it, maneuvering our Wolf Pup through stop-and-go traffic, trying to change lanes, trying to remain civil when cars sped past and around us without the courtesy of blinkers. By the time we got to Paul and Amy’s in Santa Barbara, he was done in and had earned himself a break. Thankfully, Amy is a hostess extraordinaire, bringing out wine and arugula pizza and veggies, throwing our load of laundry into the washer, and in general cheering us up with her warm smile and laughter. Paul brought home some goodies for lunch, and gathered around the outside table with them and Kai and Hannah. Caleb joined us via Skype from college on the East Coast. After lunch, Phil was able to face the traffic again, which wasn’t bad at all, going up 101 north, then to Hwy 1, and finally to a small, winding road that led deep into the California coastal range toward t...
Read more