Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #21 – Visiting with Friends and Family & Enjoying the Nice Weather!

 

Tuesday, March 23^rd., 2021……  I was up and out early this morning. Today, the weather was supposed to be nice. Tomorrow is forecast for rain, then more sunny days for the rest of the week. I walked and fed Rylee and then went to get breakfast and coffee. I got a call a bit later that the service work on my tractor was done and it was ready for pickup. Oh boy, I now get to use my new trailer!  I hooked it up and checked that all of the lights worked and headed out. It tows really nice but the little dolly wheel on the tongue needs to be removed because it is too close and will scrape the ground. It fits super tight so I will need to tweak it so I can remove it when I tow. I used my tie downs and secured the load and got back home. I stopped for a photo

and then unstrapped the tractor and put out the ramps. I found I had a little problem unloading with the ramps. Several things involved here – the ramps are only 4 feet long so the angle over the edge is a little steep and the cutting deck on the tractor gets stuck coming down. Also, the edge of each of the ramps needs to be milled down which will make the transition easier. But I’m thinking I may just leave them alone and will just buy some longer ones to use for the tractor and the zero turn. I backed the trailer up to the rv cement pad which made the angle less and got it unloaded with no more problems. I came in and rested for the day.  I had a late lunch so I skipped dinner tonight. Tv until bedtime.          

Wednesday, March 24^th., 2021……  HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANIE!!   I slept in a bit this morning and missed the dry weather when I took butthead out for our walk.  She doesn’t care but I had to cover up for the sprinkles.  But no worries! I just change coats and shoes when we’re done and I’m good to go!  I didn’t have much planned today. I wanted to go get some stuff for the new trailer and drove to Corvallis to go find the new Harbor Freight that just opened there. Their website showed it was open and had a map but still hadn’t published the address. So, I had to go find it. No worries though – I am pretty good at getting around Albany and Corvallis now and found it with no problem. It was an older storefront property that they have moved into and wasn’t all that big. Plus, everything was laid out differently. And Corvallis further from me than Albany.  But I may go there occasionally if the Albany location is ever out of an item.  I checked out their trailer ramps and also got what I needed and headed back home. I totally forgot to stop by Lowes so I’ll have to plan that for another day. I got back and let Rylee out while I worked in the shop. Of course, she has to go visit her little mud puddle! 

That’s ok, she needs to be able to run and roam and be a dog!  I don’t mind hosing her down and drying her off after she plays and plops!  I came in to the house and worked on my monthly bill spreadsheet for a few minutes, then watched tv. Barrett-Jackson Auctions are starting today in Scottsdale and going on through this weekend. I have all of the tv hours scheduled to record. So, I’m hoping to stay caught up.  I did take time off to watch Tough as Nails and The Masked Singer. I had seen somewhere that Danny Trejo was one that someone had guessed as The Raccoon and it fit when I heard him this week singing (actually bellowing!). So, I wasn’t surprised when he was unmasked. I also had a chance to listen to the others plus the new Wildcard – The Orca – and will make guesses next week. I’m finding I just don’t have the knowledge of the newer artists and will not do well on guessing them at all.  But it’s still fun to play along.  

Thursday, March 25^th., 2021……  The weather is supposed to be good for the next several days. Still too soggy to mow though.  I will need at least 7-10 days of no rain before my grass will be able to take the mower wheels on it without gouging up everything!  But, I’m glad for the nice sunny weather!  Even though the skies are clear, the mornings are still pretty chilly, so I put on my sweatpants and bundled up before taking butthead out for our walk this morning. 

Hard to believe it’s 10 months today since Lydia’s passing. For the most part, I’m doing really well.  Sometimes I do have some really sad days though.  Actually, I’m mostly ok during the days – it’s the nights when it’s quiet that I tend to get really lonely. But I think I’m doing ok for the most part.  I have been keeping an eye on the progress of the local square dance clubs getting back to operations.  They all want to start back up and want to begin holding dances again and some clubs are doing just that. But I see that they are not very well attended. Most folks are hesitant.  I get it because in square dancing we have a triple whammy – physical contact with multiple people during any given night, the age group of the dancers puts them at a higher risk, and the clubs have to be very very careful about following the rules to avoid complications and potential lawsuits. Personally, I will wait to see how this progresses. But I’m anxious to get out and see and interact socially with people again! But hey, aren’t we all!  Meanwhile, we do what we need to do.  I called and talked to Janie today. They are in Arizona, visiting Rick’s son and daughter-in-law and the grandbabies.  Both Rick and Janie have had both of their vaccines and are ready to get out and travel. They said they (and others) are looking to make plans to caravan up here to visit me soon. That will be fun! I have room for their rvs to park and can get them all hooked up to water and power while they are here. It will be like a Camping Squares campout!           

Tonight, Sis and Cherrelyn are coming back for another round of ‘movie night’. They stopped and picked up pizza and we watched ‘The Art of Racing in the Rain’, which we all enjoyed (even though it’s kind of a sad movie). Next time I’ll pick a comedy or adventure. After that, they left for home and I settled in and watched more car auction tapes before calling it a night.        

Friday, March 26^th., 2021…… As predicted, the weather is getting better and the forecast shows no rain and temps are expected to be in the mid-60s for the next few days. I was going to go outside to the shop to clean up and also work on the boat and the new trailer today. But I got a text from my realtor, Aimee, saying she’s in town working on her rental, and wanted to know if Penny and I were free for lunch. Heck yeah! I came in and cleaned up and hung around the house until time to go meet her. I chose The Bigfoot Grille and we all met there. We had a nice meal and a great time visiting and catching up. After that, I came back home and watched more auctions and then went out and took the trailer jack off of the new trailer and brought it into the shop. I needed to free up that wheel that I had added to it earlier. I ground down both parts so they would fit easily and so now I can remove the wheel without too much effort when I tow. I needed to repaint the trailer part and got that done and set out to dry. I came in and thought about next steps and parts I still need and will work on it some more next week.

I was still full from lunch so I only snacked at dinnertime. More tv until bedtime.  

Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #20 – Saying Goodbye & Getting Some Tasks Done

 

Friday, March 19^th., 2021…… Randy’s last day here. No real plans today. I got Quincy early this morning when Sis dropped her off on her way to Chuck and Linda’s yard sale. I took them both out for their walk and then fed them. Randy and I left after that and headed to Shirley May’s for breakfast. We got there and found it was closed so we headed on to Albany to Elmer’s. After that, I stopped by Home Depot and found and bought that laundry room cabinet. I was shocked when I mentioned their military discount and they gave it to me!  We loaded it up and drove home with the cabinet out in the weather in the pickup bed. It only sprinkled and we got home ok so we were lucky. I will paint it next week or later. No hurry. I spent some time with ebay and OnTrac regarding a recent order I had placed (this is a watch case that I wanted since I found Lydia’s collection!) that they say was delivered to me but it wasn’t. I tracked it to a problem with the delivery number from OnTrac that had been correctly delivered to that recipient. They got their item (air fryer) and my delivery number was on their package. Evidently, they duplicated it on my order as well so ebay said it was delivered. OnTrac may still find and deliver it.  The supplier will resend so, hopefully, it will be resolved.  We hung around the house this afternoon waiting for Cherrelyn to get off work and for Sis to get finished with her volunteer work at Chuck and Linda’s yard sale. The plan was to go to The Point for dinner and once we got everyone rounded up, Penny called. They didn’t have any openings until way later so we chose GameTime. We only had a few minutes to wait for a table and we had a very nice meal and a good time. We came back to the house and they said their goodbyes to Randy and went home. I kept Q because she goes back for the sale again tomorrow morning. Randy and I watched Mecum for a while but both of us were tired and Randy went to bed. I stayed up for a few more minutes and got some clothes separated for laundry tomorrow then went to bed myself. Rylee starts out on the bed with Quincy on the floor but sometime during the night they switch because I always find Q laying up next to my side when I wake up in the morning.             

Saturday, March 20^th., 2021……  We were each up early this morning. I showered and dressed and took the girls out for their walk/run/poop. When I got back in Randy had showered and stripped the bed and was packing up to go. We said our goodbyes and he headed out around 8:15am or so.  There is weather in the forecast for the Siskiyou Pass today and he wanted to get going before it got too bad up there. He will definitely be texting me as he goes over.  It was sure nice to have him close by, even if it was only for a few days. After he left, I got laundry going, which will go on for most of the day. In between, I just vegged out and watched tv and relaxed and planned my next week. I guess I was one of the lucky ones because I didn’t have any reactions to the 2^nd vaccine. I have my shot card in my wallet and I have taken a picture of it for my phone. They are saying now that here in the state they have shortened the vaccine timeline and they expect to have enough doses for every Oregonian who wants a vaccine to have the opportunity for at least a first dose by the end of May. That was originally set for autumn or beyond. I see that some other states are even more ahead of that but some are well behind.

I went out and got a burger from Jack in the Box for dinner and returned to my laundry. Randy texted earlier that he made it to Ashland and that the weather was pretty clear up to the summit. When I went to bed about 10:00pm, I knew he was going to go all the way home. He had texted me at 7:00pm saying he was leaving from Santa Nella. I got a text at 11:15pm that he was home. That was a 15-hr. trip!  For sure not something I would do!      

Sunday, March 21^st., 2021……  The weather is just ok today. Rains are due in tonight but it’s still dry for now. I had no plans other than to walk the dog and clean up the house a bit. So, I decided to go do some shopping at Walmart. When I got back and got everything put away, I did another couple of loads of laundry and then watched tv for the day. I had some more of the Mecum auctions to finish up, plus Nascar and Supercross to catch up on. I ate the rest of the KFC for dinner and settled in for the night.    

Monday, March 22^nd., 2021…… Today, the weather was again mixed. It wasn’t exactly raining, just mist and a few light sprinkles here and there. After walking and feeding Rylee, I took off to drive to Salem to go to Best Buy. I was looking for a Blu-ray dvd player. The dvd I got from Mike and Cheri was a video they had taken in Feb. 2002 at their old square dance club’s Luau dance, which Lydia and I attended with our club. I definitely wanted to see it and swore I had a Blu-ray player. I guess I didn’t so I went to go get one. I chose Best Buy because I had two gift cards to use. I found the one I wanted and even got a deal on an open-box item. Everything was there and it wasn’t expensive, so I took a chance. I also stopped at the Salem Hobby Lobby looking for turquoise pictures (no luck) before heading home. I rested for a while and then hooked up the Blu-ray and watched the video. I sure enjoyed it!  Thanks Mike and Cheri for dubbing it and sending my way!  I’m not sure I mentioned this in a previous post or not, but this was sent by them on Jan. 21^st.!  I received it on Mar. 15^th.!  The package was not opened and not damaged in any way. It was marked “delivered to wrong address”. I guess whoever got it originally just took his/her sweet time getting it back to the post office!  A bit after that, I went out and took a picture of the laundry cabinet

 

and then took the doors off and the shelving out in prep for painting. Boy, that sure lightened it up!  Once painted, I think I can install this by myself. Just got an order in on ebay for a newer stud finder. This one detects electrical and metal in the walls which I am worried about hitting when I install. I made the spaghetti dinner I was wanting to do last week and watched more tv until calling it a night.                

Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #19 – More Family Time

 

Monday, March 15^th., 2021…… Today the plan was to go over to Albany to have breakfast and do some shopping. We ate at the Sweetwater Café and then I took us to Coastal Farm & Ranch. Randy wanted some more Carhart pants and I was looking for a wheel for the trailer jack. We each found what we wanted and headed back home.  I put the wheel on and then we left to go to Central Bark. I wanted to get 4 five-gallon buckets of crushed rock for the carport entry.  I had some low spots and they made it better. I will see how much that compacts down and maybe go get another 4 later.  I also pulled the boat out so I could cut the carpet and install the seats. I worked on the carpet while Randy added the swivels to the seat pedestals. I sliced my little finger with the carpet knife and had to detour to the house to get it tended to. But we got it all done and the seats are in. I have the battery on the charger. The plan is to take the boat out if the weather cooperates. It will be nice to have him with me if the boat guides are too tight and the boat won’t release off the trailer!        

Tuesday, March 16^th., 2021……  Breakfast plans this morning…  We took off around 8:15 or so after I walked Rylee. Sis came by and we took two cars to Eugene. The plan was to go to Butch’s house and then he would drive us all to breakfast. He has a favorite place that makes chicken fried steak and he said it was the best. We all met at his house and he gave Randy a tour of his garage with two motorcycles and his 2005 Corvette. All are very pristine! Then we left and he drove us over to the Prairie Schooner Bar. We all had the chicken fried steak

and I thought it was the best I have had since I’ve been in Oregon!  Plus, the gravy was excellent! After the very fulfilling meal, we headed back and got a tour of his place and he showed us some of his gun collection. He has a ‘man cave’ with his gun safe and reloading bench and materials. It was cool! After a nice visit, Randy and I left and headed north back towards home. I took us back via hwy 99 so we could stop at Tractor Supply. I priced some items for the trailer and Randy bought a few things for his bike rack for the trip back home. Once we made our way home, he loaded up his bike for an afternoon run. He was headed over to Alsea Falls area. I rested and talked with Kirk and let butthead run and soak again in the mud in the back yard. Later, Cherrelyn and Penny brought tacos over for Taco Tuesday. They chose Tony’s Tacos, where she goes a lot, and everything was very good.

We visited for a while and then they headed back home and we relaxed and watched tv until calling it a night.    

Wednesday, March 17^th., 2021……  Weather today is really nice. I was out early with Rylee and then fed her.  So, she was done.  I decided to make us breakfast so I scrambled up some eggs with ham and cheese.  Then we planned our day.  I have my appointment for the second covid vaccine today so Randy was looking into another trail to head to for another bike ride. He recently bought a very nice electric mountain bike, which makes it easy for him to cover a lot of ground when he is out.

 

He loaded his bike on his bike rack and headed out. He was headed to Alsea Falls area. I waited a bit then took off to go the Linn County Fairgrounds for my shot.  I timed it to be there earlier than last time to avoid the line, but when I got parked and got the form filled out in the car, I went to get in line but there was none, so to speak. I walked behind an elderly couple who wanted me to go around but I wasn’t in any hurry. I had to go through the medical release desk again because I had tested positive before. But no worries and I was cleared and on my way. I noted that one of her comments was that after the 14-day period after, I could run around without a mask. Yeah, right!  They said that they had more volunteers for today and they were better prepared for all of us today, so got through the line immediately and went to a seat. There was even a volunteer waiting for us with Grandma’s cookie packages!  Even with the 15-min. waiting period after, I was out of there even before my scheduled appointment time!  I got back home and rested. Even later in the day (and up til bedtime), I find I have no reaction from the vaccine. Not even a sore arm so far.  Since Randy was still gone, I texted him and asked if KFC was ok for dinner and went off to get that. He was home before me and we had a nice quiet meal. We settled in and watched Tough as Nails then The Masked Singer.  Both of us got Caitlyn Jenner as The Phoenix. With all of them now performing, I have a few clues and guesses. The others are younger so I’m having trouble with identifying them so far.        

Thursday, March 18^th., 2021…… Woke up early this morning. Still no issues from the vaccine. I did find that sleeping on the left arm caused some discomfort, but not too much. I have had headaches but Tylenol works for that. So far, so good. I took Rylee out and then fed her and after that, Randy and I left to meet Aunt Penny at Kevin’s for breakfast. I really had no plans for today. I wanted to take the boat out while he was here but the weather has now turned. We are supposed to get showers today and it’s too cold even without going into the water. Another time. Since the rain was coming later, Randy decided to go on another bike run. This time he wanted to go to Black Rock. He got on the road and then stopped again to check the conditions and found that rec area was closed. So, he went back to Alsea Falls. I hung around the house and rested and played with butthead. When he got back, we thought about chicken for dinner, but I thought we might as well go out again. Tonight, I chose Bigfoot Grille but they were closed when we got there. No reason. Next stop was J&C BBQ but I knew they were out of town (in Texas for a bbq contest). I just didn’t know when they were due back. We missed them so we stopped in at Ma’s Chinese. We got back home and settled in and watched Mecum Auction and NCIS that I had taped. Then we called it a night.       

Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #18 – Family Time!

 

Thursday, March 11^th., 2021…… I’m feeling a little better today. It’s still pretty tough but I’m dealing with it. Rylee and I continue with our morning routine. She loves her walks and I enjoy just getting out. I am looking forward to warmer and sunnier days so I can get her off on some of the trails around here and give her (and me) a much-needed workout!  Meanwhile, we deal with the days.  Today, I decided to change out the bed linen. I received a new king-sized blanket that I had ordered and I have already washed that and wanted to add it to the bed. But first I needed to change out the sheets and wash the other blankets on there. Lydia always had two lightweight blankets and I could separate as required on my side. Plus, we each had one more that was only draped on the bed. We used these in the winter months. Hers was always there but I added mine only when needed. Now, I can use the new one and layer as required. Let’s see how long it takes for butthead to muddy it all up with dirty feet!

Nothing much going on today. Krista has told me she has boxed up and mailed Jeff’s watch and crucifix to me. I had asked for the watch. She will be slowly getting things sent as she goes through that process. I told her to take her time and do it if/when she’s ready. It will be tough as I well know….

In the afternoon, I headed off to get my hair cut. Teri, who I am friends with on Facebook, knew and is heartbroken as I expected. But she comforted me and we had a nice visit.

I came back home and rested until dinner. I decided to go out and get something and settled on Taco Bell. I need to remember to get out some ground turkey because I am in the mood for spaghetti and will make that tomorrow.

Friday, March 12^th., 2021…… Busy day today. I got an email that my JCPenney's order (this time it was for flannel shirts) was ready for pickup. Penny and Butch were coming today to try out her new shotgun here where there is room to shoot. I walked Rylee and fed her then went out to get my breakfast and coffee.  I hung around the house until about 10:30 and then headed down to Eugene. My plan was to stop at Penneys and then hit Pier 1 and Michaels to check to see what artwork they had in stock. I found that all of the entire River Center Mall stores/shops do open until 11:00am.   But I got in a couple of laps inside there while I waited. I timed it right and got in and out of Penneys quickly and went over to find Pier 1. I didn’t know they were out of business at this location. Bummer, because their online pics of the rug that I was interested in doesn’t give me the warm fuzzies that I will get the color right. I stopped by Newman’s Grotto for some scallops and chips and then went to find Michaels. They don’t have anything. I also saw a Duluth Trading Company store next door that I couldn’t resist!  First time I’d been in one. Probably my last too. Man, the prices are out there! I got back in time as Butch and Sis were just setting up. They came in after and we had a nice visit. Later, I heard from Carson Trailer that my trailer has been received in the Kingsburg location and it was ready for pickup. Randy was going to go by to get it but that was expected to be sometime in April. So, I was surprised that they got it in this early! As luck would have it, Randy has been planning on coming up (by himself this time) to see me. He was trying to get a few things done before he could leave but when I called him, he said he was planning on driving up tomorrow. That will work and will save him from making two trips. I still need to send payment authorization for the second half of my payment before they will release it.    

Saturday, March 13^th., 2021……  I was up early this morning and opened my laptop and found the charge authorization form I used in Feb. for the first payment on the trailer. I printed the form and filled it out again, authorizing the second payment, and scanned and emailed it so they could receive it first thing today. That way, if Randy is on the road this morning, he will be able to stop and get it on the way with no problem. Penny came over with Quincy this morning and after we walked and fed the dogs, we headed up to Kevin’s for breakfast. I got a response to my email they forwarded the paperwork to Kingsburg and that the trailer was now ready for pickup. I called them to doublecheck but they didn’t answer the phone. I texted Randy to see where he was in his planning but didn’t hear back. So, I called him. He answered right away and said he had already been there and has the trailer hooked up and is on the road again!  The phone rang in their office when he was there and they didn’t answer since they were working with him.  I think that was me!  I’m so glad I sent all of that stuff early this morning so the timing worked out!  He will be stopping at Camping World (or similar) to pick up a trailer lock and maybe a cable and lock so the trailer will be safe at whatever motel he stops at tonight. He will be here tomorrow sometime. Meanwhile, I spent time working around the house. The guest room is already good to go, but I needed to vacuum and I wanted to change out my sheets and wash the blankets on my bed so those were my jobs for today. In between, I watched the Nascar race and later, started the supercross race. I haven’t heard anything from Krista so far today. I texted her and told her I was testing Zelle and was sending $5.00 as a test to see if goes through easily. I use Venmo but she doesn’t so I’m trying Zelle.  We are now talking about shipping stuff to me. She texted me pics of a couple of Jeff’s guns, one of which is my old .22. I’d like to have that back so I will need to coordinate with her and the gun shops on each end to get it (and others) sent via that process. She says they have a three-car garage and it’s packed with stuff, a lot of which was Jeff’s from storage in Calif. All of it will take some time and I’m in no hurry so she can take it on when the time is right for her.  

Sunday, March 14^th., 2021…… Randy stayed in Medford last night and was on the road early this morning.  He made it up here just past noon. He had my trailer and said it tows nicely! Yaay!

          

We unhooked it and came in the house. Sis came by and we visited for a while. We all went to Pizza Schmizza for dinner. After that, we came back home and Randy and I watched some tv and crashed early.

Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #17 – Making Arrangements & Keeping Busy

 

Sunday, March 7^th., 2021…… Even though I slept ok last night I am back to feeling blah. I walked Ryle and made breakfast. I forgot to mention that I went off to Walmart to stock up on groceries so I have food here. I spent the morning watching races I had taped and then cleaned up the living room a bit for tonight. The girls came over with dinner from Kento Hibachi. We settled in to watch a movie and just hang out. They chose Brothers Grimm, which I had taped yesterday, as the movie for this evening. The movie was not as light as we thought, but it was a very nice night and a nice break from being here alone every night!

Monday, March 8^th., 2021…… Krista and I have been talking each morning. We discussed next steps as to ashes and belongings but for the most part I just listen and try to provide comfort and support. Later, I decided to take a drive so I headed over to Home Depot to look at cabinets again. The ones I found online are flimsy and the reviews are terrible so I will be buying an unfinished one that is already made. I just have to paint it. I spent the rest of the day resting and hanging around the house. Later in the evening, I found an ad on Facebook Marketplace for closet door mirrors. These are perfect for my garage project. If you keep up on this blog, you know that I had previously installed a mirror in the house garage so that I could see vehicles that have pulled in the driveway. That mirror is ok but a larger one, on hinges, will really work well, I think. I’ve seen these for $50.-75. and he had several for only $10.00 each. So, I messaged him and told him I would buy two of them. We made arrangements and I am going up to Salem tomorrow to pick them up.

Tuesday, March 9^th., 2021……  Krista said the coroner’s office told her the cause of death was trauma from the accident and that he died instantly. While nothing is good about any of this, there was no suffering so that was good to hear. We have decided together to split the ashes. I think she is planning to take them on the benefit ride. As for me, I will be adding plans for another celebration of life in California in the undetermined future. At this time, I am leaning to having two separate times so that friends can come for each of them. That depends on the venue and allocation of the room.

I spent the morning driving up to Salem to pick up those mirrors. They were in excellent condition!  I took the Acadia since they would lay flat in the back and brought them back home and unloaded them in the shop. Now I have to figure out how to attach hinges so I can hang one of them. The rest of the day I worked on the boat and I finished installing the boat guides. 

I think they will work nicely when I get the boat out again. I still have to finish the carpeting and reinstall the seats but that should go quickly. I’m waiting for warmer weather so I can work outside.  The weather here is changing slowly so it may be a while. We still have cold days and rain but the sunny days are working their way into the picture and I always like sunny days!     

Wednesday, March 10^th., 2021…… The weather was icky when I took Rylee out but it’s expected to burn off and we should have some sun in the afternoon. I was asked to go over with my sister to her friend’s house to help them set up for a yard sale. This is the property that Linda and Chuck have inherited and they have just sold it. They have been working on cleaning everything up and sorting through a ton of things to be tagged and sold. I put together some shelving units to display items and then reattached some dresser drawer hardware. Sis will put in a lot of hours tagging before the sale.  This farm is probably a mile from my house so I am available if Chuck needs me for anything. When I got home, I rested for a while and then took off to go to Corvallis. I wanted to hit Bed Bath and Beyond to see what artwork they have. I am looking for something for the main bathroom. When I see it, I will know…

Dinner tonight was a cobb salad and a chicken pie. Tonight was Tough as Nails and the first show for this season’s The Masked Singer. I have all of the names now and got them written in my workbook. It looks like they will have wild card additions to the list as well.  Tonight, it was group A and I have some ideas of the first five. The Snail was the first to be unmasked, although I thought it would be the Raccoon, who was terrible! I had no clue the Snail would be Kermit the Frog! His voice was familiar but I just didn’t get it. It looks like they have some terrific singers this season.      

Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #16 – Really Bad News

 

Wednesday, March 3^rd., 2021…… I got up early this morning and walked Rylee. I stopped and took a pic of those daffodils that I shared before. They have really bloomed!

 

I was out early so I could be back in time to leave for my 7:30am dental appointment. Today was just a cleaning. After that, I stopped and picked up breakfast and came home and ate. After a bit, I took off to go to Albany. I wanted to go to Hobby Lobby and Target to look at pictures for my bath. I have one spot that has a nice picture already, but I want to move that to Lydia’s office and wanted one with some more teal in it to go with the rest of the colors in the bathroom. Also, I had seen a nice teal 5x7 rug at Jerry’s that I think I will go back and get. Pics of those to follow in the future. Didn’t find anything so I came back home. I rested for a while then headed back because I forgot to stop at Lowes to get the square metal tubing that I needed for the boat guides. Duhh!  Oh well, it is a beautiful day and it’s nice to be out.  Rylee liked the break because she was able to go play in her racetrack!  Dirty dog but all I have to do is hose her off.

After a bit, I went out and got a Hangry Chili Burger and fries for dinner and brought that home. Later, there was a sheriff’s squad car pulling up in my driveway. Very odd at this hour!  I went out to meet him and he broke the bad news to me. My oldest son Jeff, lost control of his motorcycle and crashed and did not survive. He said he went into a canal in Florida about ½ mile or so from his house. He gave me the number from the contact officer in Cape Coral and I called her and got more info. She said she had spoken to Krista and she said they rode to the bar together and that later, she left with her girlfriend and said he had decided to ride his bike and could make it the 2 miles or so back home. The officer told me that when they recovered him from the canal, they saw he was in riding gear so they went back upstream and found where he had lost control and went into the water. She also said that at Krista’s request, they notify me in person here in Oregon. I called Krista and we talked for a bit. She said her mom is coming down to be with the family. We don’t know any more at this time. I immediately set out to call the rest of my family and a few good friends. It did help to keep talking and sis and Cherrelyn came over to be with me as well. I stayed up and made a couple of Facebook posts – one on my fb and one on Jeff’s. But eventually I had to try to get some sleep and went to bed but tossed and turned even with a Melatonin.     

Thursday, March 4^th., 2021…… I woke up early for some reason so I am very tired today. I immediately went through my morning routine with Rylee and then made coffee. I had a few more calls to make. Sis came by with Quincy and then headed off for her first covid vaccine and then brought back breakfast. I kind of went around the house in a daze but filled some time doing laundry and cleaning the toilet. I also went out and spent a few minutes working on the boat trailer but just couldn’t stay out there. I have been reading facebook replies to the posts out there. Maryanne and Tia both posted as well so there is a large circle of friends sending much appreciated prayers and condolences our way. Thank you all! 

I had already asked Kirk to bring the trailer over today or tomorrow so I could get the mower loaded and down to the place for service. We managed to get that task completed and when I got back, I was done for the day. So more many things to do. But all are on hold for Krista at this time…. Krista’s mom gets in tonight. I’m glad she will have her there. Krista and I texted back and forth about a few things but not much can be done at this time. Jeff’s friends are part of a video share from the local tv news. They showed the crash site and then had the friends talk about Jeff. Here is the link if you want to see it.   https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2021/03/04/body-found-under-dock-at-cape-harbour/

I thought they did a good job with the video. They didn’t mention that he had left a bar and alcohol was involved. They also have set up a GoFundMe page for Krista and the link is on the page.

Friday, March 5^th., 2021……  Krista and I texted back and forth again today. I want her and her mom to be able to be with each other and I know mom will be helping her in the things she has to do. First up was the obituary and I gave her info (Lydia’s maiden name, etc,) for that. She has insurance and bank and finance co. to work thru on her own.  

As for my day, it was the worst so far. I just couldn’t get anything going and felt disconnected all day.  My sister and I talked a lot today and, although she is feeling it as well, I think she has helped me with some issues I have. I also spoke to Randy and naturally he is broken up about all of this. Losing a brother and a mother so close is hard for him. I plan to get back with Krista tomorrow with answers to some of her questions about services, cremation, his possessions, etc. I tried to make it a normal day and took Rylee out and went through my normal routine. Couldn’t get anything done so I gave up and stayed in the house for the day. I went to bed early and I guess I went right to sleep.  

Saturday, March 6^th., 2021…… I was up early (4:30am) and texted Krista to check in to see how she was doing. I asked her to call me because I had some ideas to share. She called back and we talked for a good long time. Besides talking about the events that night, we also discussed cremation. I told her I would pay for the cremation and take his ashes if she wanted. I also suggested splitting them up and said that maybe they could ‘unofficially’ take some with them on the benefit ride to spread. I think he would have liked that idea. There will be no service there (covid) so I will be planning something in conjunction with Lydia’s celebration of life whenever that can take place. That said, and unless things change, neither Randy or I will be going back to Florida at this time. That prompted another question - Krista had asked about me wanting anything and that caused me to think about all of his boxed-up stuff he had from Calif. that is in their garage. I offered to pay for shipping if/when she wants to clean out his things. She can put into a storage unit (that I will pay for), or ship in bulk or in parcel to me as she sees fit. I will pay for that as well.  After getting all of this done, it was daylight here. I proceeded to get going with my day and felt much, much better.  My sister, who went down to see Butch today in Eugene, was also going to pick up her new shotgun that came in. I asked her while she was there to inquire how guns are transported because Jeff has a couple of mine (plus some of his own). Per law, they need to be shipped and received through licensed gun dealers on both ends so that can be done at a later time. While she was here, we made plans for a movie night tomorrow. They will bring dinner and I will make popcorn and we will hang around and be together.

I just want to say thanks to everyone who has seen the facebook posts and have sent their condolences. Everyone in the family has seen them and thanks you as well. Hugs to you all!

Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #15 – Running Errands and Enjoying the Sunshine!

 

Saturday, February 27^th., 2021…… Slow weekend. As usual, I don’t make too many plans for shopping or much else on the weekends. But the weather is nice.  I made breakfast at home and didn’t take a vehicle out of the yard all day!  I did a few loads of laundry and watched tv most of the day.

I think I’m done looking for the fireplace/tv cabinet for this season. Most all of the sales are over and stock is low and most places have put them away in favor of Spring. Our Lowes and Home Depot both have patio furniture and BBQs as well as rows and rows of riding mowers outside now. There will be a lot of folks spending their stimulus checks on yard equipment soon, I’ll bet.  This is the one I wanted and it’s from Wayfair.

The problem is that their sale is over and they have now increased the price by over $500.00 and I am not paying that!       

Sunday, February 28^th., 2021…… Another great day!  I was up and out with butthead and then got a text from my sister. I went and picked her up to go to Shirley May’s for breakfast and she took her smoke detector with us so that, after, we could continue on to Albany and got to Home Depot and Lowes to get a replacement. I took advantage of the trip and looked at laundry room cabinets. I’m finding they are not commonly in stock so I may have to order online. This is the one I probably will get.

Once I got back home, I was done for the day. I watched my races and relaxed for the day and evening.  

Monday, March 1^st., 2021……  We are in our third day in a row with nice weather.  I love it!  I had no plans today, so I decided to clean the main bathroom and then I ran the small dust vac around the house to get all of the ‘Rylee hair’ picked up. Boring day but at least that’s done for a while!  I think I will follow what my sister does and will be looking for someone to come in and clean on a regular schedule. 

I went out to the front yard and cut a dead ‘hanger’ branch that had broken during a wind storm last month. I cut it up and put it in the trash and then went out and ‘tested’ the lawn. It is still way too soggy to even consider mowing. I think I have another month or more before I can mow again. We’ll see. My doctor neighbor across the street had his mower out today but I saw he was pulling a sprayer and hitting his fence posts and such, killing his weeds. I had a couple of burritos for lunch and I wasn’t in the mood for a big meal for dinner, so I just cut up some potatoes and fried them up. Rylee shared. TV until bedtime.   

Tuesday, March 2^nd., 2021…… Again, another beautiful day here in Oregon! We got up to the 60s today. Two of my neighbors have now mowed their lawns. The one I could see looks terrible, with rows of dug up dirt!  My lawn is even wetter than theirs so I won’t be mowing anytime soon! Besides, I still need to get my black Sears tractor up to Cascades Outdoor so they can sharpen the blades and change the oil. The Husqvarna is sitting for the time being. This is the one Kirk and I own together and he has a new zero turn too so he’s not using it at all. So, it may be up for sale this season. I left the house and went over to my sisters to hang up a board. This is something that Chuck gave her. It’s black walnut and was cut on his mother’s home in Oklahoma many years ago. She wanted it mounted on the wall so we did that this morning.

 

I stopped on the way there and got some more stainless steel bolts and nuts for the piece I am attaching to the boat guides. When I left sis’s house, our landscape guy, Justin, practically followed me back to the house. He brought his plate compactor and finished up the gravel in the carport area. It looks really good! 

I do need to go get 4-5 buckets of gravel because I have a few low spots to fill in. I decided that since it was a nice day, I would work some more on the boat. I got the adjustments made to the guides and got the front two bolted in with no problem. I was going to mount the brackets for the back ones but discovered that the boat is still not centered on the trailer. This is even after Kirk and his guys moved it for me a few weeks ago. Being by myself, I had to get creative. I used a floor jack and got the weight off of the boat and slid it over a few inches. This will allow me to center the boat guides. I still need one more piece of additional metal to use for those. I plan on going tomorrow to get that.