Saturday, February 27, 2021

Wood Re-Stacked!

I actually looked forward to re-stacking the wood yesterday when I got home from the dog walk. It was such a beautiful day! I was glad to have something to do outside.  

I did an hour’s worth of work before lunch; I’d barely made a dent in the job that had to be done. So, after a quick lunch, I got right back to it. There was a lot of wood to move. I kept thinking about the spa and the couch I’d enjoy at the end of the day.

I worked for five hours after lunch and got the entire shed emptied—its contents relocated to a smaller shed (that was likely going to become a sauna). Now the big shed is ready for the last two cords that will arrive next week. It felt great to get the wood re-located; I’ve easy access to the remainder of my seasoned wood for the balance of this season and lots and lots of room for the final two cords of new wood.

When I was done, my new Apple TV device arrived. I hooked it up and went through a monster technical challenge to get Netflix, Kanopy and Amazon Prime all working on my TV, but I got it done. It’s fabulous to be so easily able to watch movies streaming from websites on my TV.

I also got my lanyards set up. I now have two to wear with “seizure alert” showing through the clear plastic window. Having this new aid will give me more confidence when I’m out and about this summer in my camping van.

Today’s another sunny and bright day, so I’ll be outside again today, but not schlepping wood. Instead, I’ll be chopping it and doing more cleanup of the yard.
















Friday, February 26, 2021

Back to Stacking Wood

Thursday broke with clear bright skies. I was surprised because rain had been forecast. But my agenda for the day had me indoors; I made a cake for Merrill and Leo and my first ever quesadillas (chicken) for dinner.

I’ve been off baking since June of 2020 when I decided to lose weight, so it felt really, really great to be baking again. I decided to make a rich chocolate cake and lots of buttercream to slather between the three layers and to coat the cake—but just lightly. Then I hardened the butter cream frosting in the fridge for a long time so that I could cover the cake with a chocolate mirror glaze and top that with some rosettes and chocolate leaves.

I Zoomed with Dianne at three and then went over to Merrill and Leo’s just after four with the cake. They were happy to get the cake; they, like me, have sweet teeth.

Today is another bright sunny day. I’m going on the dog walk with my friends and then coming home to move wood. I face moving a little more than a cord of last year’s wood to a new location so that I can get at it easily and so that the last two incoming cords of green wood can go where the seasoned wood is now. So, another long day of wood moving, but I’m up for it.

I also have some wood chopping to do. Tonight, I’ll be exhausted so I’ll have to find something on Netflix or Prime to watch. I will want to vegetate.

Besides the virus of the atrocious presenter, Lucy Worsley, educational television is also infected with a Scottish virus named Neil Oliver. I see shows with themes that sound interesting and I tape them. Then, when I watch them, I find they are hosted by Mr. Oliver and I find him so disturbing that I can’t watch the program. He is constantly in the frame, like the horrid Miss Worsley. I adore presenters that keep our attention on the subject, not themselves.
















Thursday, February 25, 2021

Four Cords Stacked; Two to Go

Wednesday began with a walk with my friends and then it was back to work on the wood. I have to schlepp each wheelbarrow full of wood further now because my shed is full of as much wood as I’m willing to put into it. Now I’m filling the “sauna,” a useless small building that seems intended to become a sauna, but which was never finished. It’s a strongly built building that’s small in dimensions. It’s an excellent place for wood and it’ll hold quite a bit.

It was cold because it was clear Tuesday evening. I took three Ibuprofen before starting in an effort to ward off hip pain. As I began working, it clouded over which was disappointing in the extreme for me as it robbed me of the high spirits the sunshine brings. I did ten loads and then took a break for lunch. Then went back to it.

The last thirteen ten barrow loads were harder to endure and slower, but at least it got brighter again, and I also got all the wood stacked and the tarpaulins cleaned, folded and put away. The Ibuprofen worked. My hips gave me no trouble at all; I just got fatigued overall as the day progressed. Now I can bake a cake for Merrill and Leo to thank them for helping me.

I went into the village for baking supplies and then came home for a spa and an evening chilling out, happy to have four cords stacked and drying for next Winter.

I now have a lariat attached to a case with a plastic window. I have a card that says “Seizure Alert” on one side, and information and instructions on the other side—text I got from the Epilepsy Society. The Society also serves people with non-epileptic seizure. I plan to wear the sign (under my hoody) when I’m in Nanaimo or anything out of the ordinary—especially where there’s a crowd or noise. 

I got an email from Merrill, in response to me writing to ask if she’d be home late in the afternoon today so that I can deliver the cake. She not only said that she’d be home, she said nice things, just like last time we got together, about her happiness about our friendship. 

I came here for solitude, only to make friends here who (to quote Josh Groban, “raise me up.” I feel, with each new friend, more at home on this island—that I belong and am accepted. It feels good. When Summer comes, Merrill has proposed Bocce games, and I have Croquet. And she and Leo, Kevin and Shelly and I can have picnics at Drumbeg or on my deck.

Scumbag Department: the CNN website had a story I wouldn’t read about a person who shot and killed a Giraffe and posted selfies with it—including one with the Giraffe’s extracted heart. What kind of person does that? Fuck! And then I saw an article saying Olympian narcissist, Hillary Clinton is “writing” a novel (with, of course, a real writer “assisting” her). Who cares? Go away Hillary!
















Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Wood Stacking Continues


I love this parrot. I had one once, when I was with Steve, but he was a nasty bird and so we rehomed him to a woman with patience and far more experience with birds.

I wound up taking Sheba for her delayed morning walk after lunch. It extended my break from toting and stacking wood. When I got home, my body was screaming, “No more!” But the sun was out, so I forced myself to get back to work, thrilled to have less to do with this load of two cords thanks to Leo.

I have to say, the sunshine was a huge help. It is so wonderful to be in a Springtime frame of mind. Today is another nice day, so I expect to finish the remainder of the second two cords of wood. I’ve learned that it’s feasible to process my annual wood order in Winter, so that’s a good thing. And I have enough tarpaulins to keep the wood dry during rainfall. 

I quit at 1:30. My hips were absolutely killing me; it hurt too much to walk and keep going. So, I quit, proud of what I’d accomplished (with Leo) and happy to have been outside getting exercise. But man-oh-man, my hip joints hurt! I took Ibuprofen and got into the spa; it felt awfully good to be weightless in the warm water—and to have the couch to look forward to afterwards. My hips have never hurt so much. 

Late in the afternoon, a car pulled into my driveway. A young man got out whom I didn’t recognize, he put on a mask and came to my front door. I went outside and he asked me if I recognized him. I said I didn’t. He then said he and his girlfriend met me the day I came to see my house for the first time and that we’d met at the ferry terminal.

Suddenly, I remembered him. He’s Todd, and he was at the ferry with his partner, Amy, whom I got to know a little before she disappeared. He told me what had happened to her and that her bizarre behavior—suddenly leaving Todd and getting married very quickly thereafter to a man she’d known for only two weeks—was due to her being bi-polar and going off her medications.

He’s quit his job being a chef in the oil fields and becoming a dog sitter and grower of mushrooms. He also said that he’s kind of lonely. He was asking for friendship, and I said I was open to that, but I warned him about my seizures. He could care less. First, Merrill and Leo, and now Todd. The longer I’m here, the more people I am meeting. I feel like I belong now.

In the evening, I could stand from a sitting position and walk without pain. God bless Ibuprofen. I went to bed looking forward to good weather today and getting more wood stacked.

I watched episode two of Belgravia and it’s as good as All Creatures Great & Small’s season ending episode was bad. I’m now a huge fan of Tamsin Grieg, and a devoted fan of Julian Fellowes.

It’s a beautiful morning, so toting and stacking wood won’t be overly onerous. I’d love to be able to finish these two cords today, but I’ve no confidence in my body. I’ll do what I can and take breaks when I want and see how long I can go. 

My speech is pretty good right now and I firmly believe it’s due to being outside in sunshine, even though it’s Winter. And the balance of the week looks good. Come the weekend, the rains are due to return.