Car Cleaned

There were 169 Liberal seats when I came inside at 1:30 to take my mid-day pills. And there is something like 9 seats still undetermined, so the Libs still have a chance to secure a majority government. But even in a minority position they have a very strong position in parliament. I couldn’t be happier.

We walked late in the morning, and then we had lunch. Then it was time to do something practical in the sunshine, so I chose to wash the car. That seemed simple enough. First, I used the new pressure hose tool I bought and it’s useless. Another waste of money. But I used it to hose the built-up dirt in the wheel well, and there it was effective.

But I had to scrub by hand, so I got the red bucket from the shed, filled it at the kitchen sing with warm water and some soap and then I lifted it out of the sink and carried it outdoors. I set it on the deck and went back into the kitchen to fetch a sponge and there was water and mud all over the kitchen floor. I couldn’t account for that, but when I returned to the red bucket, I could see the leak.

I got half of the exterior car washing done when I felt too tired to continue, so I came indoors, cleaned up the kitchen mess, and sat down to read a little about the election and recover my strength. After a few minutes I smelled a slight burning smell and that’s when I realized I’d left the stove on with the last of my Laksa soup in it. This was turning into a bit of a nasty day, all due to my being in a hurry and not paying attention. Pooey!

Then it was back to work on the car. I felt no pressure to do anything, so I took things slowly and just kept at working and I got the car into much better shape than it has been in since last Summer. With so many dirt roads here, Winter can be very muddy. 

The hardest part of cleaning the car was removing all the pitch that had burned onto the paint. My car is not covered, it sits fully exposed to the elements and has suffered somewhat from falling branches and oozing sap. But who cares. It gets me where I want to go no matter how dirty it is.

As for the interior. It was horrifically dirty. I can do more today with the vacuum if I choose to, but it’s already much cleaner. The car gets FILLED with Fir needles and pebbles that attach to my boots all Winter. Plus, Her Highness brings in all kinds of things that get stuck in her fur when we walk. However, mission accomplished to a satisfactory level. 

As I worked, I kept thinking about the evening. I love our Family evenings together. I love chilling with dinner and a movie. I truly love it a lot, but especially after a day of doing chores like cleaning the car. I relax guilt-free. 

By 2:30 I was pooped, and so Her Highness and I went to Elder Cedar for a walk. I’ve come to love walking this trail because it is flat and because it is a perfect length of time to walk in the afternoons (45 mins.). Then it was time to hit the spa. Oh, how I love my hot tub! A long gentle soak in brilliant sunshine is a wonderful way to end a day of chores and activities.

The evening was sublime. Sunshine made Pinecone Park look spectacular, and it was lovely to have a shiny squeaky-clean car parked in the driveway. I fed the brood, made my dinner and hunkered down on the chaise to watch Death Comes to Pemberly on Kanopy. It’s an ideal show for me, absolutely gorgeous scenery and costumes, and James Norton, plus a lot of other familiar faces, all of whom I like. Just three episodes, it was a perfect evening.

And today has dawned clear and bright. It’s going to be another wonderful day, and this afternoon the temperature is likely to reach 20°! We’ll enjoy a long walk with our friends this morning, and another with just Her Highness in the glory of the afternoon.

Part of my bliss is having the lung diagnosis. It’s brought me such peace to know what it is, even though it’s a bit scary that my lungs are slowly packing it in. I hope to hear about the shots next week, because the other thing that brings me peace of mind it to have a treatment plan.

F.Y. Polievre

I took my first prednisone pill yesterday. I’m to take it for just a week. I’m taking 50 mgs. That’s the same amount of medication Sheba started on, and it really threw her. She became a dog I didn’t want to have. She’s now on 10 mgs/day and wonderfully herself. I could care less what happens to me during this week. I’ll do anything Dr. D. says.

But nothing at all happened. I’m very relieved. I did not get uncontrollably thirsty or hungry at all. The day went by without incident except that at around 1:00 o’clock I lay down for a nap and didn’t wake up until 3:30! It rained all day long, so we only had one long walk. We had a fire yesterday to keep our spirits up on a dull, damp, day.

And then came the election results. And YAY! YAY! YAY! Pierre Polievre losing his own riding made my day! I was also, of course, giddy that Mark Carney won, but that was expected. Jagmeet Singh’s concession speech was the highlight of the evening. What a gentleman! And I thanked Justin Trudeau for resigning, for without his concession, the festival of faeces that is Pierre Polievre might have become our prime minister. What a loathsome little twerp! But we’ll be seeing and hearing less from him, I suspect, as a non-member of parliament. But watch this slime bucket force a winning Conservative MP to quit so that he can run in their riding in a byelection. 

We’re back to sunshine today, and that means mild yard work for me, and a trip into the village for prescriptions. Just another day.

A rare black Servil. I want one!

I covet this chaise!

Chickens!

Sunday, My Day, was a day like any/every other. We took a short morning walk, then I had a soak in the spa, then it was lunchtime for us all, and after that I got busy with the watering. I did a very good job. I had all the patience in the world. Watering is a chore that I can do easily, so I am embracing it. Also, my gardens are looking so fine, it’s an honour to husband them.

With most of the watering done, I took a break while my cistern recovered its water level. I had a nap in the sunshine, and then Sheba and I went for our second walk of the day. We went to Drumbeg, the prettiest public place on the island. It’s by the ocean, so it’s very lovely and being on the coast, we had big sky and lots and lots of sunlight. Then we came home to chill on a stunning day. 

Once back home, I attended to my monthly duties for STAMMA, the U.K. stuttering association to which I belong and for which I volunteer. We have a support group session this coming Thursday, so I write to everyone to invite them to join us, and I prepare some things to discuss in case there’s a lull in the session. 

I’ve been reading about Pharmacare and the Special Authority program of the provincial government. Henry, a neighbour, has had to fight for financial aid for medication he infrequently needs. His wife is a lovely friend and so she told me about the various steps to take if my insurer refuses to cover the medication Dr. Dorscheid wants to give to me.

It’s raining today. I’ll be working on the shed—or not. It’s chaos since all the wood went in along one wall, so I want to tidy things up and sweep the floor. The sauna, in which I once stored wood, is now storage room, lessening pressure on the shed to store everything. But I may just chill all day with the brood by the fire.

Come the Fall, I’ve resolved to hire someone, perhaps Grayson, whom I trust, to dig up the apple trees in the backyard, and install them in the front yard. They will have to be fenced. My front yard, where so much sunshine falls in the Summer, is slowly filling up with fruit trees. Once that’s done, I may set up a drip watering system for all the trees.

My Day

Saturday was another beautiful day. I went into the village to shop and then we walked in the giant meadow in a conservation area before coming back home. We all had lunch and then I got busy moving bark from a pile exposed to the elements, into a shed. I ran out of steam before I finished the task, so Her Highness and I went to Elder Cedar trail for a walk.

Everything is quite dry now. I’ll be watering today. The stream in Elder Cedar is slowly disappearing. Soon it will be gone until late in the Fall. 

I’m dreading taking prednisone. I start it this week, It makes Sheba very thirsty and hungry. I think I am to take it for a month, and then these shots are supposed to start. I practically live at the Pharmacy. I should have a dedicated parking space.

I’ve promised Dwight that I’m going to get my papers in order, my power of attorney and power of representation, my will, and the most important thing—my notes. My notes tell Dwight my passwords and lists corporations and hospitals that need things returned. All kinds of things. The he’ll come to visit and we’ll go over it all.

Today, of course, is sunny. It’s going to be another beauty of a day. I will be busy watering this morning, after I take Her Highness for a walk. But that’s all I want to do on My Day, is water. I want to chill the rest of the day away. I’ve only been up for 2.5 hours and I’m already tired and wanting a nap.