Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #82 – Running Errands, Moving Furniture, and Mowing Again

 

Sunday, October 25^th, 2020…… Sorry, I forgot last time to post the pic of Rylee’s new rope!

 

I slept in a bit today then got up, showered, and walked and then fed butthead. I did some minor cleanup and then texted Teri to see if I could take her and Olivia and Emmett to breakfast. We went to Appletree and had a great time. We stopped back at the house and they got their stuff together and she and I took them back to their house in Jefferson (about 17 miles). We came back and then it was time to call Rife’s. She had passed on a Saturday delivery of her loveseat and chair because she was with me so we had to go pick it up. Hey, she had me for my free labor!  I brought the truck over and we went and got the loveseat by itself. I didn’t want to take both pieces because the store is just up the street from her place. They loaded it for us and once we muscled in her room, we headed back for the chair. That was where the problems started!  They put the rocker in the truck and she didn’t test it first. There was a ‘flat’ spot when you rocked. It looked like the oak runner underneath was dented which caused the problem. We went back (without the chair) to see if they could exchange it. They offered her the floor model which looked really good so we went home and loaded up the old one and made the swap. When we got it in and set up, we both immediately noticed that the colors from the two pieces were a bit off.  She was frustrated but kept her cool when she called them. The store manager had already left for the day and wouldn’t be back until Tuesday. Teri covered both pieces expecting them to be exchanged next week. I headed back home and spent the rest of the day resting and watching baseball and Nascar. The Texas race was rained out but I still had other races to watch.         

Monday, October 26^th, 2020……  This morning the weather was chilly! We had our first freeze warnings and this morning the leaves on the tree next to the driveway all fell off at once!  I checked the grapevines and they, too, had lost all of the green!  The leaves were brown and mostly on the ground. The grapes are totally gone too! Later, I picked up Teri and we headed down to Eugene to do some shopping. We had three places to go and got that done pretty quickly. We stopped at Panda Express and had lunch and then headed back home. I said my goodbyes and went back home to feed Rylee and watch some more tv before crashing for the night.  

Tuesday, October 27^th, 2020……  Today I was headed for my acupuncture appointment. But when I saw the card, I realized my mistake. It was for yesterday morning and I missed it! I called and Bonnie called back later and we rescheduled for this afternoon. So, I planned my day around that appointment. I drove over to Albany and stopped at Roger’s for breakfast and then went to Lowes and picked up some of the carpet blades that I was looking for. I also stopped back at St Vincent de Paul’s thrift store to see if they still had that coffee table I spotted before. Nope. So, I went back home and rested up and then drove over to Corvallis for my appointment. On the way home, Teri asked for some help with her mirror install. That was an easy fix and we also worked some more on her new-to-her old desk. The top is kind of warped and the middle drawer hangs up so I need to bring back some shims to help with that. She said that Rife’s will be re-ordering her a new chair from the same timeframe as the loveseat so hopefully it will match. I came back home and watched the Dodger game. It was tough to watch and I thought it was going to come down to game 7 but they pulled it out! Yaay team!   

Wednesday, October 28^th, 2020…… Today the plan is to mow the lawn. I needed to wait until it dried out a bit so I washed some clothes and towels. I finished up while trying to watch the rained out Nascar race. It had rained there for the last three days but they got it in today! I stopped it short and went out and got the lawn started and finished.  I didn’t do the back field but still managed to fill up the truck with grass to haul off tomorrow. I came in and cleaned up a bit then went and picked up Teri to go to Growlers for a nice quiet dinner. I brought the shims and fixed her desk before we left. I dropped her off back home and headed back home to walk Rylee before it got too cold to do that. We settled in for a nice evening. Rylee slept and I watched the rest of the Nascar race then The Amazing Race and then The Masked Singer. I guessed Wendy Williams for The Lips. I think The Broccoli is Kevin James and The Squiggly Monster is Snoop Dog. The others I think are younger celebrities so I have no clue. It was late but I got all of those shows watched before calling it a night.     

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #81 – More Family Time and A Fun BBQ!

Wednesday, October 21^st, 2020…… The weather is in the 50s today, so not too bad. I had Rylee out and walked and got her back in and fed. Sis came by later and dropped off some groceries for the bbq on Saturday. We discussed going to pick up Tamara and the girls from the airport tomorrow. I will drive because she doesn’t feel comfortable going up in the afternoon Portland area traffic.  Later, I went out to the shop and made some supports for Teri’s desk. I made one in prefinished black and one that I painted white. I also made some shims to use as needed. She worked in the morning and then went off to run errands which was perfect because the paint needed two coats and time to dry. I fed Rylee and then went over later in the afternoon and got the parts installed and then came home for the day.  

Thursday, October 22^nd, 2020……  I had another early appointment today, this one with the acupuncturist in Corvallis. That went well and I felt really good!  I stopped and got breakfast on the way home and then rested for a bit. I pulled the boat out into the sun (not too much but brighter than the garage lights!) so I could work on trimming the carpet that I had just installed. I got just the first cut done when I decided to wait until I could get a carpet knife and a better straight edge for the job.    

Friday, October 23^rd, 2020……  Today’s appointment was the first with my ENT doctor. I drove to Corvallis and found his bldg. and checked in. I was there to see him about my lack of smell plus my sinus headaches and stuffy nose issues.  The meeting went well. He gave me a few shots of Afrin which immediately dilated my sinus cavities and allowed me to really breathe deeply through my nose! He scoped the whole thing and only found one small pollop, which he doesn’t think would be hindering my sense of smell. He wants to do an mri to confirm all of this. That should be scheduled for next week sometime. His recommendation for now is to use a nasal spray for at least one month to help with the passages. I told him I have only used the Flonase for a few days at a time so this may help in that area.   

Saturday, October 24^th, 2020…… Today was BBQ day!  I have the house ready and also the garage is cleaned out. This is where I set up the pumpkin carving stations. I had a tarp on the floor and trash cans and bowls all ready for the folks to use. Butch and Cherrelyn drove their cars as did Teri. Penny brought Tamara and the girls, Cassandra and Lauren. Teri brought her grandkids, Olivia and Emmett and they all got started. It was fun to watch as they all had their own ideas as to what they wanted to create. I spent the time taking pics

 

and bringing in specialty tools (drills with spade bits and an oscillating blade for whatever they needed). The results speak for themselves…..   

Janice got there too late for the pumpkins but joined in for the rest of the party. I cooked veggies, dogs, brats and burgers and I think everyone had a great time. And the food was pretty good too. Teri and the kids brought Rylee a new rope toy. She says “thanks, I am hap with dis new toy!” A really fun day!

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #80 – More Moving Stuff!

  

Saturday, October 17^th, 2020…… Today, the weather is again kind of rainy, but the sun comes out later in the day and it dries out quickly. The temps have dropped several degrees in the morning. They say we have a run of sunny days coming soon, but I think we are getting close to winter up here!  I hung around the house most of the day, only venturing out to do some early-morning shopping at Walmart. I didn’t do anything yet to the motorhome, but I think I have a plan to get the bottom part of the ladder disassembled. Maybe Monday…

I ate the other stuffed salmon for dinner and watched my Nascar races and also caught up on one of my new favorite game shows – Master Minds. Plus, I went into the guest bedroom, where Frances has installed Disney Plus for me and where I have uploaded Peacock, to watch some of those shows for a while. I binge-watched all of Dale Earnhardt’s new series called Lost Speedways.   

Sunday, October 18^th, 2020……  The weather is nicer today. No rain and none in the forecast. The sun came out and it ‘warmed’ up to the low 60s. The grass still can’t dry out enough to mow yet. Sis and Cherrelyn came by this morning to drop off 11 pumpkins. Yes, 11!  We are having a bbq here on Saturday and that day will include some pumpkin carving. Her daughter-in-law and two of her grandkids are coming up to visit this week. My house is better-suited for the crowd. More on this as the week goes by…

Later in the morning, I dropped by Teri’s house to say hi then went over to my sister’s place with my truck, loaded with a wheelbarrow, and ramps. The wheelbarrow is for moving the rock she’s had delivered for her side yard. The ramps are for moving her new fridge in and out of the truck. Her neighbor, Jeremiah, already had her entry door to the garage off the hinges and was taking the water line off of her old fridge when I got there. We got that fridge moved out and plugged in and then he and I took off and met the girls at Janice’s house. We took her front door off and I got the water line off her fridge. But, oops, I thought she said she turned off the water. What she said was she turned off the icemaker! So, we needed ‘cleanup on aisle three’ after we shut the valve off!  It took all of us but we got the thing in the truck and over to her house, offloaded and installed with no issues.   

 

Then Cherrelyn and I scooped up several wheelbarrow loads of gravel and Jeremiah moved them over to his house next door. These are shots from when they first dropped off the load. 

Once that was done, we took Janice’s hand truck back to her and then I headed home to rest up for a few hours. Later, I met Teri at Gametime for dinner and a beer. Nice relaxing time!  That was a nice reward for the day!   Except for more elation later when the Dodgers won the game and will now go to the World Series!  I just hope this is the year they don’t go flat in that series, like in the past years.   

Monday, October 19^th, 2020……  This morning I had a super early dental appointment – 7:30am!  Luckily, Dr. Tolman’s office is only about a mile away. Today’s visit included x-rays, a cleaning, and an exam (no issues on anything).  I got all of that done and headed off to find breakfast and then went home. I really didn’t have anything else planned for the day. I decided to go out and work on my boat carpet. I managed to get it all glued down. Next up will be to trim it and secure the edges as needed. I cleaned up and came in and rested for a bit, then left to go get dinner from jack in the Box.  I settled in and watched Dancing With the Stars before calling it a night. I’m enjoying the dancing and the judging but hate the hosting!  She is a joke!  Boy, I sure miss Tom and Erin!

Tuesday, October 20^th, 2020…… On today’s schedule was Pointe Pest Control. Kirk and Carter were also due today. The weather had been just ok. No rain, but it’s cloudy and misting off and on. I got a text from Teri that she has been shopping on Marketplace again! She has found a desk that, with a little fixing up, would be perfect in her shop as her work station.  I needed to get my guy in and out before I could take her to go pick it up. Carlos (new guy for me) showed up and was in and out pretty quickly. The weather cooperated and the sun came out for most of the day!  I was able to leave but first I needed to coordinate a job I wanted Kirk and Carter to do for me today. They will be going to my sister’s house and picking up the rest of her gravel to bring to my place. I told Kirk if I wasn’t there, to dump it on a wooden ‘X’ that I would put out where I needed it to go. Teri and I drove over to Albany and got the desk. She was right – it did need some loving! We loaded it and then went to a few places, one to The Depot for lunch, and then to Habitat for some browsing. I bought another metal rake and she got some fasteners for her mirror. And the third to Hobby Lobby and then to Big Lots and then to Rick’s Sew & Vac & Spas. The last one was for me. I wanted to check if they might be able to get that one part for my Hoover Vacuum. No luck. That’s ok, I think I’ve got it fixed anyway. They did have a nice spa in their showroom, but all I can right do now is look, until I get the deck project off and running. Maybe next year. We got back and maneuvered the desk into its new home. I had some adjustments to make because it was out of alignment. A few new screws helped with that. I still want to make a couple of supports in my shop and bring over to retrofit. I came home and rested from the day. I had some chips for a snack because I was still kind of full from lunch.  I watched the Dodgers win the first game of the World Series!     

 

 

 

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #79 – Getting Punctured, More Furniture, & Meeting More Family

 

Tuesday, October 13^th, 2020…… This morning I had to get up early and get moving. I had an 8:00am appointment with an acupuncturist in Corvallis. This was my initial meeting so it would be 2 hours long. She asked me all kinds of questions about my health and my lifestyle and my life today in general. I don’t claim to know all of the aspects of this art, but I was intrigued by everything I learned today. She started off with needles down my spine to “clear my system. I was in there to get treatment for headaches, earaches and hopefully to get my sense of smell (and taste) back. She moved on to the left side of my head. My history there is of shingles in that quadrant back in 2001. I don’t know if today’s symptoms are related to that or not, but she says probably. I just lost my sense of smell within the last three years. Anyway, after the treatment, I was able to breathe better through my nose. But I didn’t experience any great improvements and no smells yet but I will be going back next week for more treatment. Stay tuned….

After that, Teri texted to see how it went and told me to come by and visit because she was between customers. I did and we talked about another piece of furniture she was looking at. I told her I was free today and we could go after she had her last client at 3:00pm. But the guy (in Salem) wanted us there earlier in the day, so I volunteered to go look at it and buy it if it was nice. I made the drive and met the guy and bought the piece and we loaded it up. It was very well made out of nice hardwood and was yet another heavy item to move. I got back but went home to wait until later to bring it over and unload. Once I got there, we determined that we needed a third person to get it down on my little mover’s dolly so I called my sister and she came to help. We got it in with little issues and it fits exactly in the space she has! 

 I will be taking measurements and making her a small extension for her computer base behind the unit.    

Wednesday, October 14^th, 2020……  I had a great night’s sleep last night!  Bonnie (the acupuncturist) had said I might. This morning the weather was crisper than normal!  It had been in the 50s early in the day but this morning when I took Rylee out, it was 45º. Sis came by with Q and then we went to Shirley May’s for breakfast. She dropped me off and left Quincy for a ‘spa day’ and headed home. She was going to Costco so I asked her to check on the stuffed salmon that I didn’t find last time. I went out and worked on building that piece for Teri and got that completed and painted. I gave it to her when I picked her up this afternoon. We were going to Salem to meet up with her son Matthew, and his wife Brandi, for dinner. They drive down from Vancouver and we drive up. The 45-mile drive up was pleasant. The weather was nicer today but it still didn’t get hot. Maybe in the low 60s. We had a nice dinner and a good time. They are fun kids! On the way back we stopped at a house where she had purchased some Christmas lights from. They were on the front step. We got those and we got back home and I dropped her off and headed back home. Sis had fed Rylee when she came to get Q so all I needed to do was let her out to potty. I watched tv until bedtime. A fun day!    

Thursday, October 15^th, 2020……  Not much on the agenda today. I want to mow but the weather is not cooperating. I cleaned up some nails from some boards so I could stack them away. That was about it for the day. It rains and then the sun comes out. That’s sure good for the grass but not for drying it out enough for mowing. I have been out religiously starting the motorhome but this day it didn’t want to start without help from the booster switch (off the house batteries). I’m thinking about when I bought the starter batteries (back in 2012) so I probably will need new ones soon.  

Friday, October 16^th, 2020……  I went out and checked the motorhome and sure enough, it wouldn’t start at all. Problem is the starter batteries are in the rear and the ladder has to be unhinged so I can swing it up for access. But there is not enough room since it’s parked pretty close to the rear wall!  So, I have to figure out an alternate plan for that. Tonight, I had defrosted a couple of the stuffed salmon and asked Teri to join me. 

But turns out I had to eat alone because she said she had got her flu shot and wasn’t feeling too well and needed to pass. 

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #78 – Going to the Movies and Moving Furniture

 

Friday, October 9^th, 2020…… The weather is now turning cooler. There is rain coming in tonight and it’s supposed to last for a few days. That will be a big help for the firefighters.  Rylee is still looking at me wondering if I’m still mad at her for taking off across the street. I almost can’t help but laugh. She is so sweet!  But I had to hold my ground yesterday for a few hours just to let her know I’m upset. I don’t expect it to work because she is so stubborn!

I have Quincy here today. Sis is coming back later to feed them because Teri and I are venturing out to Eugene to go to the show. The theater there has recliners and they block off two seats on each side and they have the crew going in with those sprayer machines.  Here's some pics from their website….

 

We saw The War With Grandpa, which was really funny!  I’m just glad that the shows are open and they are starting to have new releases again! After the show, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner and then headed back home. It was a nice day!     

Saturday, October 10^th, 2020……  Today I wanted to surprise Teri with donuts.  After all, she did that to me the other day! She hadn’t had her first appointment come in yet so the timing was perfect. I dropped them off and then headed off to get the oil changed in the Honda. I waited in the rain because they only had two guys working today. They apologized and got me done in quick time and I was out of there. I came back home and then decided to take apart the entry door from the garage into the house because it was sticking pretty badly. It was the throw bolt that was worn out. I was planning on replacing it all but I found that they had just the throw bolt by itself at Ace Supply so I bought that and I think I had it all back together in two minutes. I still want to replace the unit with something other than polished brass so I will look for something later.   

Sunday, October 11^th, 2020……  It was going to be a rainy day so today was another day to hang around the house. I watched races and lounged around and did pretty much nothing all day. Meanwhile, Teri was looking on Marketplace and found a winged table that she thought would fit in her small place. When she texted me about it, I suggested that I could meet her there and we would just put it into my truck which turned out to be the way to go. The rains were gone and the sun was out.  We got the table in and I left and went home and settled back to my races for the rest of the day.  

Monday, October 12^th, 2020…… Today I wanted to try the new prime rib breakfast sandwich from Carl’s Jr, so I texted Teri to see if she wanted to go with me. Not as good as we expected. After that, she asked what my plans were. I told her I would like to go to Lowes and look at locks. She said she wanted to go to Costco so we just left from there and went.  I bought some new bath sheets (I like those extra large ones!) and also bought some Asian pears and bread and a flashlight for my sister. We went to look at locksets at Lowes and then headed back and I dropped her at her house and headed home and rested for the day.    

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #77 – More Painting, Moving Furniture & Mowing the Lawn

Monday, October 5^th, 2020…… Looks like we have one last day to paint! I started the day walking and feeding Rylee. Sis came by and brought Quincy. After she left, Teri came by with coffee. I had made breakfast but she only shared bacon with me. We had the new paint and we made quick work of the last coat of white and the first coat of black for the top. She has chosen black chalk paint for that, which turns out didn’t need two coats! Yay. Now, we just have to figure out how and when to get it moved over to the shop! But for now, we rest. She went to work and I spent the rest of the day doing my latest blog and posting that, then a few minutes working on my bills. I need to do a deep clean on the house but that probably will be tomorrow!  I had the rest of my deli sandwich for lunch and relaxed. I did go out later and straighten up the shop and got some of the brushes and rollers put away     

Tuesday, October 6^th, 2020……  I had several things on my to-do list for today. First up was laundry. I got that going and then got out my steam mop. Today was the master bath. I moved out everything and got the cleaning done in there. Laundry was going throughout the day. Then it was out to the shop. I still didn’t like the paint job (it was that dam Walmart paint!) so I went out and put yet another coat on everything. We are leaving the doors for now. The original plan was to paint the frames white and the insert black, but she will be painting them with the chalk paint.  After that, I went back in and got out the vacuum and got that task completed. I fixed an early ‘linner’ and then rested for the evening. A bit later, I texted Teri and we met at Growlers for dessert. Only problem was that they weren’t open!  So, we drove over to the bowling alley for a drink instead. The lanes are open and they had maybe half the place going for league play. We sat back and watched and had a drink. She told me, “Now don’t get mad, but I am not keeping the unit we just painted! I’m afraid it is just too big for my small space. I will list it on Marketplace tonight”.  I thought so too, so, of course, I didn’t have any problem with that. It was only time and labor, which I have plenty of these days!  She has found a person with another unit that is actually a hair station that we will go look at tomorrow. No worries.  She said she was relieved that I wasn’t upset.  Later, I took her back to her car and then headed home.      

Wednesday, October 7^th, 2020……  Today was another busy day. She texted me last night saying she had a lot of interest in the entertainment center, only having posted those two pics I shared on my last blog!   We both knew there are scammers out there but she has been communicating with a young lady who will be bringing help and cash in hand this morning. I moved it out of the shop and had everything waiting when she got there. We waited a few minutes and a young gentleman who was the pastor from the lady’s church showed up with a truck and a borrowed trailer. But no help. We got the two units loaded and tied up when mom came and paid for the unit. They went on their way. Teri called about the hair station and we went to look at it. Turns out it was only a few blocks from my sister’s house! This thing was custom made and beautiful and solidly built. The only problem was that it was one piece and super heavy. And tall! 

So, we had to go back to her shop and measure the ceiling height. We got there only to discover that she left her keys in her car at my house!  No worries, she said she could go to the shop next door and if they were open, we could measure the ceiling. We did that and found that this station was too tall to fit in her shop. So, we left and went back to the bowling alley for their famous burgers for lunch. When we got back, she went home and I rested for a while. My other task today was the lawn. We couldn’t do anything until it dried out so the plan was to do it in the afternoon.  Around 3:00pm, sis came by to help mow and we got that done and took the clippings to Central Bar and dumped them. That was enough for the day! I didn’t fix dinner because I was still stuffed from the burger. I sat and watched The Masked Singer. I missed my guesses on The Giraffe (who was Brian Austin Green). I thought it was Urkle (Jaleel White). I didn’t get The Dragon (Busta Rhymes) or The Gremlin (Mickey Rourke) so, I am 0 for 3 so far.  I do have guesses for some of the others we have seen so far. I think The Sun is Leann Rhimes, The Snow Owls are Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black, Popcorn is Tina Turner, Seahorse is Carrie Underwood, and Whatchamacallit is John Legend. For The Crocodile, The Baby Alien, and The Serpent  - I have nothing so far but I am still thinking on those.   

Thursday, October 8^th, 2020……  I got up early this morning and got Rylee out and walked. Then I received a text asking if I wanted a treat this morning?   “Come outside!”  Teri was heading off to Corvallis for an early doctor’s appointment and she stopped by on the way to bring me donuts!  Yaay!  How sweet!  I got a hug and she took off.  My job today was changing the oil on the new zero turn. They said I needed to change out the break-in oil after 5 hours of operation and I hit 5.3 after mowing yesterday. I moved the mower out and ran it to warm up the oil. I got it drained and the oil filter off.  When I got the zero-turn from Tractor Supply, they had included a quart of Cub Cadet oil and a Cub Cadet filter.  But it turned out that the filter was not for this new model and the specs said I needed two quarts of oil when you change the filter too. So, I headed up to Cascade Power and got the correct filter and another quart of oil and came back and finished that job. Meanwhile, I had to go get Rylee again because she took off to go across the street to see Ollie. Bad dog!  I came in and worked around the house a bit. I needed to remove the rubber bumper assembly off my vacuum because it was cracked and coming loose. I researched the web but that part is no longer manufactured and there are none to be found even on ebay. So, I went out and used gorilla glue on it and clamped it up. Later, I reinstalled it. It looks fine now

but I will use it next time and see if it holds up. Even if not, it still works so I’m good.    

 

 

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #76 – Buying a Furniture Project and a Fun Trip!

  

Wednesday, September 30^th, 2020…… Today I planned on mowing. I was up and out with Rylee and got her fed. I made scrambled eggs and then went out and fired up my string trimmer and cut around the edges of the sprinklers and curbs, etc. I had the mower out but had to do it myself today. Sis was going on a drive with Butch in his 2005 corvette to get her wine order from her favorite vineyard. Butch is a friend of her neighbor and they have been out a few times so she wanted to bring him over to meet me. I was out mowing and stopped and met him. Nice guy!  (pics coming soon). I got the lawn taken care of and loaded up the truck for another ‘dump’ at Central Bark. Once that was done, I came back in and cooled down and sat back and relaxed and by then, it was evening!  I had some mini tacos for dinner and watched The Masked Singer. I have some guesses from last week but tonight I was kinda lost. I think it’s because most of these six acts were either pop or rock so I don’t have a clue. I didn’t even know the Gremlin was Mickey Rourke (but Jenny did!).  

Thursday, October 1^st, 2020……  I had an appointment for a haircut this morning but first stop was Walmart for a few things. After that, I swung by Teri’s shop and was in and out in short order. I came home and fixed myself some breakfast sandwiches and then went out and brought in the trash cans. I noticed that I needed to pressure wash one can and did that and set it out to dry. Rylee bugged me so I took her out for another run in the water and her pool. Most of the day I just hung around the house and worked on my bills and sent a note off to my doctor who missed a referral and I needed to follow up.  Later in the day, I got a referral letter with a number so I sent back a ‘please disregard’ note to my doctor. Also got a text from Teri asking for my services. She wanted to go look at an entertainment center she had found offered on Marketplace. It was in Salem so we took the truck and drove up there and bought it and got it loaded up. We stopped for dinner and called sis on the way back to meet us at my house to help unload it. The plan is to paint it here and then it will go into her salon as a work station.

Friday, October 2^nd, 2020…… Today was nice and warm and sunny. I hope it stays that way because we are going on the train this evening!  The tickets I had bought for our ‘tweener’ birthday outing got cancelled due to smoke and was rescheduled for tonight. I picked Teri up and headed just down the street to the depot. Our tickets were for the Harvest Dinner Train, and for this trip, they brought in a local caterer/chef to prepare the meal using local fare. The ride was from Lebanon to Sweet Home and back. We boarded a little after 6:00pm for the 2-hour trip. There were all of maybe 25 people on the entire train so it was safe and easy to get from car to car and we sat in the parlor car and the bar car and walked to the open-air car and then to the bar car and finally back to the parlor car. We were served the first course, which was eggplant relish with goat cheese and currants on pita slices. We also got baguette bread with roasted tomatoes and feta cheese. The main course was steelhead with herbs and butter, chicken ravioli with roasted bell peppers and greens and ricotta in a cherry tomato wine garlic sauce, and parmesan polenta and also ratatouille. For dessert, they served us plum cake with toasted hazelnuts and whipped cream. It was SO GOOD!  We both especially liked the fish, which was the best I had had in a long time!  The weather was nice until the sun went down, then it got chilly and we spent the rest of the time inside. We got back to the station and thanked everyone for a lovely time! They have other events throughout the season, and at $60 per ticket, it is something to plan for but well worth the price!  

Saturday, October 3^rd, 2020……  This morning we started on the paint project. First stop was Walmart, where we got some paint and brushes. I had already got the pieces on top of some paint cloth so we were ready to start. I sanded everything to get the finish off and to prep the surface for the paint.  We were told that this was paint and primer but quickly learned not to believe a Walmart ‘expert’!  This will need several coats! Teri worked on the doors and I started in on the upper unit. 

We both worked on the lower section and got the first coat on that and left it to dry. 

Teri went home and I rested for the day and watched my races. I fixed dinner and watched tv until bedtime.

Sunday, October 4^th, 2020…… I told Teri to come by around noon, but I went out early and got the second coat on everything before she got there! Surprise!  But she brought lunch and we ate and waited to do the third coat. Turns out the weather wasn’t cooperating and this cheap ass paint wasn’t going to dry today. She had brought some black gloss paint for the top of the lower unit but it didn’t look black so it was probably mislabeled (thanks again Walmart!). We will try black chalk paint tomorrow. Also, the plan now is to remove the back panel on the upper unit and let the gray walls in her shop offset the white and black pieces. So, I took those off (see above) and we were done for the day. Again, it was races and lounging around for me. I made more of the mini tacos and settled in and watched my races. My one Nascar cup race - on tape – ran long and they switched stations and I missed the last three laps! Bummer, but I know who won and can watch highlights tomorrow.     

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #75 – Enjoying the Warm Weather & Cool Yogurt

Saturday, September 26^th, 2020…… Still trying to get medical billing done. This last week I had a call saying I had more money due for Lydia’s hospital stay, even though I have a letter that says I have met my maximum deductible for the year.  It took me about 2 hours but I think it is resolved. Our medical insurance company (United Health Care) said they were behind in notification to the hospitals lately but they will be correcting it.  It sure doesn’t help dealing with this so many months after….

Teri didn’t go to laser tag so we decided to head down to Eugene together.  I needed to go to Jerry’s anyway to get some more rock salt for my system. We had a nice drive and got her glasses and my supplies and then topped it off with lunch at Fisherman’s Market. This is one of the places that Guy Fieri has featured on Diners Drive-ins and Dives. It was good but I was just glad they were open! Turns out this is three days in a row with Teri!  OhOh, I guess now people will start to talk! 😊 No worries. I like it!

We got back home and I dropped her off and went home and rested. We’ve had rain and winds the past few days and today started out really nice but we got some clouds and sprinkles later in the day. So, I hung around the house and washed towels and watched tv.      

Sunday, September 27^th, 2020……  I think the rains are gone for a while! But it has really helped with the wildfires. They say that they are approaching around 40-50% containment. There is no smoke at all here now. The sun is out and the skies are back to a nice blue! I especially like going outside on my back porch late at night to see the stars out in force! Can’t get enough of that!  I waited until it got up into the 70s today and then went out and filled up Rylee’s pool. Poor thing didn’t get her exercise the past few days! But she is happy now!          

                     

 

 

I finished up the day watching races and fixed spaghetti for dinner and settled in for the evening.  

Monday, September 28^th, 2020…… The weather is really nice today. Sunny and bright even at 7:30am!  When I got back with Rylee, I noticed that the grass is already high enough to mow again! Jeeez!  But it’s too wet so the plan today was to work on the boat carpeting. I waited too long and got out of the mood so maybe tomorrow. I did some cleaning and some laundry. I watched tv in the office and then in the craft room. I now have good comfortable recliners in both of those rooms so taping and watching in either of them is no problem. The chair cover that sis ordered from Home Shopping Network came and she brought it over and I put it on. Nice!  I ate leftover spaghetti for dinner and watched tv Dancing With the Stars and called it a night.

Tuesday, September 29^th, 2020……  I slept in until 7:00am and then got up and showered and ready for the day. I started out with Rylee and talked a bit with neighbors Rick and Judy while I was out. Then I headed up and got breakfast and brought that back and ate. I thought I would go out and trim up some more of the smaller trees I have in the flowerbeds and along the fenceline. They had some lower branches that get in the way when I mow so I cleaned them all up and filled up the truck. Kirk came later and he and Carter trimmed up the spruce tree that had wild sucker trees shooting up through it. I had them cut it off the ground and also cut back some of the branches that were close to the house. It turned out pretty good. Before and after….

We loaded up the trailer and Kirk followed me to the mulch/recycle place. I didn't expect them to charge me $34.00 and I complained and they reduced it to $25.50. Still high but better! Once that was all done, I came in and ate. Teri texted and we met at Limeberry for yogurt and some good conversation. We are going to the Harvest Train coming up on Friday so we talked about that too. Turns out that the lady who owns Limeberry just sold it and is opening a new business in Teri’s old shop on the other side of town. We saw her pics of the remodel. Looks good. She said the new owners of Limeberry will keep it going but change the outside and remodel inside in the near future.