Matt sent me these two photos a few days ago (8/27/2022); words can’t express how much I miss her! And today, for the very first time, she said “I uv u gwammy” when we were ending our FaceTime adventure. My heart is so full.
So after our wonderful road trip, it is time to focus on the house and needed repairs. I fixed the walking stones in the front yard which were uprooted when the electrical was installed for the Chinook. And now I’m turning my attention to the back yard (again).
It seems like only yesterday when I built the deck addition and bought a wonderful teak patio set. But that was 15 years ago – and my body feels 15 years older too!
I started to pressure wash the teak furniture and while sanding it I realized I was silly to keep this set when I can no longer take good care of it. So I decided to sell it and buy a wrought iron set that isn’t so high maintenance.
I found a wonderful Woodard French Country set that was in mint condition here locally so we picked it up last weekend. I’m going to put outdoor carpet on the deck to help protect it.
Anyway, deck refurbishment began and I’m trying to do a little every day. Here’s a few pics of what it looked like when I started.
I’m replacing one deck board that is in pretty bad shape and then will hire someone to do the scraping and sanding. I’ll do the prep for painting and get it done myself. I honestly wish I could hire someone to do painting too but we spent all our money on our vacation and the new-to-us Woodard patio set. Which I just love!
UPDATE – Thursday, August 4, 2022
I’ve made really good progress on the deck painting. I ordered some stair treads for both the back door and the stairs to the bottom of the deck on the side yard. Will feel better walking out in the rain and ice with those treads on the stairs.
I still need to paint the sides of the deck to make it look nice. And I also need to restain/paint the door from the patio. I’m going to paint it white to match the french doors from the family room (and that door needs to be painted too!)
UPDATE – Saturday, August 6, 2022
Today I painted the sides of the deck. I had to have Sherwin Williams match the deck color because the paint I was using was so clumpy. It matches great and looks pretty good.
Ryan and I got the furniture moved out and the new deck rugs on. It’s coming together, slowly but surely. Next, I am going to paint the little step and clear off the potting bench. And the next project is to paint the dining room back door. Never ending maintenance it seems. Here’s a few more pics from today.
UPDATE – Sunday, August 7, 2022
Washed the fire pit area and put some stuff away. A few pics as of this afternoon. Still have to organize the potting bench.
One more from the dining room door that includes the fire pit area.
I still have a few things I’d like to accomplish this summer; paint the back dining room door white to match the french doors, level and lay the pavers by the garden shed, organize the garden shed, remove the big ugly bush by the end of the waterfall, etc. But I’m feeling pretty good about how much I’ve accomplished already.
UPDATE – Sunday, August 14, 2022
The progress continues on my backyard renovation. Here’s a short video I took last weekend – includes my lovely pond-less waterfall.
This weekend, I painted the deck rug stakes to blend in better with the rugs (they were stainless steel in color and would have looked horrible). I also painted the screws too.
And i received the new Sunbrella canopy for my Galtech 9′ umbrella – it matches my 11′ cantilever umbrella. I bought it from The Patio Umbrella Store and I’m also replacing the bottom half of the pole for it as well.
And today I stained the dining room back door. I’ll need to put a few coats of urethane on it sometime this week, hopefully. And I ordered two stainless steel kick plates for the dining room doors from Kick Plate Direct.
I’m not going to paint the french doors – they are fine as is. I think I’ve just about done enough this summer.
UPDATE – Wednesday, August 17, 2022
I ordered a piece of table glass for my cute little table that goes between our chaise lounge chairs – it is perfect and I love it!
UPDATE – Thursday, August 18, 2022
When we bought this house in 1994, there was no door from the dining area – it was just a big window. I found these french doors from an old wine cellar down in Portland and carted them back home. I hired a carpenter to install them after I removed the old window. I never did any maintenance on them or anything so they were in really bad shape. Here’s a close up that I made lighter so you can see the damage from years of weather and use plus pressure washing the bottom part. They were ugly.
So I decided to clean them up and stain them. Here’s just after I started doing the staining.
I’ve been putting the top coat on the last few days and have one more coat to go. Then I’ll take some more pics.
UPDATE – Monday, August 22, 2022
I finally finished staining and putting 3 top coats on the dining room french doors – they look great! I should be receiving the stainless steel kick plates I ordered later this month and then that project will be done.
UPDATE – Tuesday, August 23, 2022
I truly love my backyard. I took this short video this weekend.
I finally received the stainless steel kick plates I ordered for the dining room doors. They look wonderful!
My 2004 Chinook Summit was built in March of 2004. It is SM-29, meaning it was the 29th Chinook Summit ever made from the original sticker on the inside of the bedroom closet. I believe I am the 3rd owner of this beautiful RV. The manufacturer, Trail Wagons, Inc., was based in Yakima, WA – here’s a good history of the company.
We are planning a road trip in June and I’m getting the Chinook ready.
Today I did the de-winterizing and needed a little help from the Chinook group I joined. I have a good sense of how our house works, but am slowly learning how the motorhome works.
Ryan and I are planning to drive to So California to visit Kyle, Larry, Penne and Charlie, then head to Denver. We will be bringing Mickey and Ava with us. Will be interesting to see if Penne remembers them.
I’m so excited to go.
UPDATE – May 8, 2022
The original thermostat (a 5 button Duo-Therm) was so hard for me to read that I did some research and found a truly plug-n-play alternative. Here’s a before and after installation of my new Micro-Air RV thermostat: (https://www.microair.net/products/easytouch-rv-thermostat)
Old one:
And the new one installed:
And the new one can be set up to control with my iPhone. Brilliant!
Ryan wants to learn how to drive it so we took it out for a short drive yesterday.
UPDATE – June 5, 2022
I had a new water filter system installed under the sink so we don’t have to buy any bottled water and tomorrow, I’m taking it to get the oil changed and new wipers put on. She’s going to be in tip-top shape for our trip.
UPDATE – June 22, 2022
We left at our planned time of 7 AM. Goal is to make it to Red Bluff, CA before nightfall. An uneventful drive including quite a few stops to let the dogs out and refuel. I don’t like to let the fuel get below one-half full.
We arrived at one of the most modern and beautiful KOA‘s I’ve ever stayed at (was formerly called Durango RV park). I stayed here on my 2011 solo road trip and was so glad to have stumbled on it again. Unfortunately we weren’t able to really enjoy all of the amenities because we arrived kind of late. And since it was the first road trip Ryan and I have taken in my new-to-me Chinook Summit, there was a bit of anxiety and confusion setting up camp with the two dogs. In any event, it was a pleasant night and we hit the road to Kyle’s house early in the AM.
UPDATE – June 24, 2022
The drive to Kyle and Larry’s house was not without some excitement. We stopped for gas and Ryan got out to check on the Infiniti and let it run for two minutes. I got out to fill the Chinook tank and it appears I hit the door lock button near the door armrest on my way out. We were both locked out of the Chinook and the dogs were locked in! And of course, the generator stopped too for some reason. It was incredibly hot (103° F) and Ryan was quite upset. I immediately went inside the station and asked them to call 911. I also called AAA. And the gas station attendant called a locksmith too. While we waited, we tried hard not to panic. The locksmith showed up first and went to work. He couldn’t use the slim-jim door thingy so he started picking the door lock. Then the fire department showed up. Just 30 seconds before the fire department was about to break in via the rear emergency window, the locksmith successfully unlocked the driver’s door.
Whew!!! Hugs all around and I paid the locksmith $60. We were so relieved!
We filled up the tank and drove off. About a mile down the road, it was clear something was wrong with the steering. Turns out Ryan forgot to put the Infiniti tow car ignition on the first click to unlock the steering wheel! Once that error was corrected, we went on our way and I was mentally trying to plan for how to get the Infiniti fixed (it wouldn’t start after the incident) while at Kyle’s.
At the next stop, I decided to try the Infiniti again, only to realize that I had failed to put the clutch in previously when I tried. It fired right up.
OMG
Needless to say, we arrived at Kyle and Larry’s house late – our Chinook lockout adventure cost us some time and there was so much traffic. I was beyond exhausted.
Every time I see Kyle, it feels like home. Such a deep connection we have.
It was wonderful to see Larry and Kyle. But it was quite the treat to see Penne (from Ava’s first litter) and all of the dogs got along really well.
We had a wonderful pool party at Kyle’s daughter Katy and Jeff’s house. Jeff even saved my life when I choked on a piece of steak and he did the Heimlich maneuver on me. Never a dull moment.
We discovered that the low beams on the Infiniti weren’t working and one headlight was out on the Chinook. So I had Firestone fix the Chinook and will have my mechanic fix the Infiniti headlights since they are covered under warranty when we get home. And as luck would have it, Jeff (Katy’s husband) is an RV technician and he was able to find the loose connection that made the rear slide amber light not come on – problem solved! After a truly memorable visit, we made our way to Grand Canyon National Park – it’s been on my bucket list forever!
UPDATE – June 28, 2022
We arrived at our campground (Trailer Village Campground) at the Grand Canyon and it was amazing! Elk roaming everywhere! I want to plan a trip to stay here for a few days in the future to soak up this amazing place!
After a way-too-short stay, we left for Denver. I didn’t want to spend 12 hours a day for two days driving to Denver so we decided to stay in Moab, Utah; an absolutely amazing place!
After a good night’s sleep, we headed to Denver! We were so excited to visit with Matt, Ashley and our beloved IzzyB (aka Isabella, aka Chickadee)!
While going up to Vail, CO on I70, I had to shift down to first gear as we were fully loaded and towing the Infiniti. Going down from the summit was quite the experience! When we got to our exit, the brakes were smoking as I was riding them pretty hard to keep the Chinook from going over 60 (the Infiniti specs say not to go faster than 60 when flat towing). I posted a question on the Chinook message board and got some great advice about how to safely drive both up and down steep grades while fully loaded.
IzzyB is two and a half now; she’ll be three on October 29, 2022. I’m so blessed to be in her life. She actually ran up to me when we arrived and jumped in my arms!
Matt, Ashley and I went off to Devour303 to have a drink and say goodbye (it was closing permanently). While there, we were talking about all kinds of stuff and Matt went on the above rant about my getting a new “gold” Volvo just before we moved to the Seattle area in 1990. Amazing to hear how he processed some things when he was so young.
PS – it was this 1990 Volvo – Sand Beige Metallic
Also, while the three of us were at Devour303, Ryan was taking care of IzzyB. She was napping when we left. When she woke up, Ryan stepped up and actually changed her very dirty diaper (it was the first time he ever did anything like that, ever)! Woo hoo! Such a good Uncle!
Matt, Ryan and I also took IzzyB to the Downtown Aquarium while we were there. It was quite the experience watching IzzyB interact with everything! She even touched a Moon Jellyfish!
IzzyB is almost ready to use the potty! So proud of her! She’s talking up a storm now and I can’t believe how much she’s changed since I last saw her in April of this year (2022).
We had such a wonderful visit in Denver! Ryan stayed at the house with Matt, Ashley and Isabella and I slept in the Chinook with Mickey and Ava. I only wish the campground was closer to their house. I brought the dogs with me each morning to the house and then came back to the Chinook after IzzyB went to bed.
On July 5 we headed home. Ryan remembered he had in-person school on Saturday, July 9th and we wanted to have a day to decompress.
It was quite an exciting drive on I80 in Wyoming. For those not familiar, I80 is basically a two lane highway (4 lanes total separated by some ground in between the two eastbound and two westbound lanes). We saw some police lights up ahead and as we approached, we realized the lights were on our westbound side of the interstate and coming at us FAST. Turns out it was a police chase with a dark gray SUV coming toward us going eastbound on our westbound lanes with two police cars very close behind with sirens and lights glaring! Wish I had my camera going.
The trip home was beautiful and my co-pilots were at peace.
We arrived home early evening on Thursday, July 7, 2022. All in all it was a GREAT trip without anything going wrong with the motorhome or the Infiniti.
And for the record, gas mileage in the Chinook fully loaded and towing the Infiniti:
My darling granddaughter has started asking to ‘call Grammy’. My heart is so full. I can’t wait to see her in a couple of weeks.
I’ve watched each of these recent videos more than 100 times I think; they make me laugh.
The first day of the public hearing for the January 6th Committee was breathtaking in its scope and meaning.
Our country is on the precipice. How we handle this will tell us who we really are. Here’s the never-seen-before video share during the hearing tonight.
I turned 68 last Monday, May 23, 2022.
Physically, I’m barely hanging on. I believe having COVID19 earlier this year took a toll on my health.
Arthritis, too.
I get out of breath just walking to the mailbox and back.
I cannot work in my yard or around the house like I used to. I know I’m growing old but wow, I’ve never had this kind of challenge.
My oldest son and granddaughter live far away (Denver).
My youngest son lives with me and hates the fact that at 36 y/o, he lives at home.
I have to work full time just to support this house and Ryan; and I’m tired.
Very, very tired.
This morning (Saturday, May 28, 2022) I woke up to a pain in my upper back/neck area – nerve pain it feels like – but who the hell knows. It has been here all day and it radiates down my left arm. Pain makes me feel very cranky and hopeless.
My primary care doctor quit and while I made an appointment with a new one, she can’t get me in until October.
My society would rather murder children by allowing rampant access to assault weapons by damn near everyone (I say damn near because in Washington state where I live that is not true). I cannot bring myself to watch media related to the Uvalde, Texas mass murder – I can only hold so much grief.
Our public servants have failed us. Here’s what we must do NOW:
My country is diving deeply into fascism and it’s horrific and ugly.
I try to pretend none of these things are happening and on most days, I’m OK.
But not today.
Not today.
I’m shattered at the thought of children, enjoying their school day and ending up murdered.
Shattered.
Here’s my idea:
No more thoughts and prayers. Clearly they don’t work.
Look at the politicians for what they DO, not what they SAY.
Hate will not win. Ever. This resonated deeply for me.
First, I want to make it clear that both Ryan and I have been triple vaxxed; he’s had 3 Pfizer shots and I’ve had 3 Moderna shots. The reality is, these vaccines do not prevent transmission or infection; they do protect against hospitalization and death.
Ryan went back to his student teaching position after the Christmas break. Unfortunately he and his mentor teacher decided to not wear a mask unless the children were present because they both have been vaccinated AND boosted.
Bad choice.
On Saturday, January 22, 2022, his mentor teacher called to tell him she tested positive for COVID19. Ryan and I immediately started wearing masks in our home.
He went to urgent care on Sunday and they wouldn’t test him until 5 days after his exposure so he had to wait until Tuesday, January 25, 2022 to get tested.
He learned late on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 that he was positive. He didn’t have any symptoms really other than scratchy throat.
Thursday night, I got a severe sore throat and felt terrible on Friday morning, January 28, 2022. I made an appointment with Multicare’s Indigo Urgent Care center for that afternoon and was tested for both COVID and Strep. Strep test results came back the same day as negative. No COVID results.
I worked for half the day on Friday and then went to bed. Started running a fever that went from 99.6 – 102.6 throughout the day. Muscle aches were so severe I felt like I had been beaten up. My head felt like it was about to explode. Severe congestion. Tylenol helped keep fever in check and reduced muscle aches to a manageable level.
Still no COVID19 test results from the urgent care visit.
UPDATE – Friday night my fever broke and Saturday morning – January 29, 2022 – I feel slightly better. No fever, no headache, no muscle aches. Just severe congestion and cough.
Still no COVID19 test results from the urgent care visit.
So I decided to use one of my Abbott BinaxNOW tests and it was positive. Nothing surprising there really. And honestly, it was kind of a relief to get confirmation for what my body was telling me.
Now at least Ryan and I don’t have to isolate from each other since we’re both positive for COVID19.
He took another Abbot BinaxNOW test this morning and is still positive, but he feels OK really; just a sore throat and some congestion.
More to come.
12:15 PM on Saturday, January 29, 2022 and the PCR test results from urgent care are finally here – positive (aka “detected”)
I need to say again how grateful I am to have had 3 Moderna shots. Ryan had 3 Pfizer shots. As you can see, Ryan is doing very well with COVID19 so far; I am on the mend. Given my age (67) and my comorbidities (asthma, lung damage from pneumonia etc), I feel very lucky right now. Here’s the data showing just how effective the booster shots are:
Get your booster now!
And here’s an incredibly informative essay from Eric Topol who is one of the best follows on twitter.
https://erictopol.substack.com/p/a-shot-in-the-dark
UPDATE – Saturday, January 29, 2022 – 6 PM
I was able to get out of bed, get dressed and spend the day with Ryan downstairs. My appetite is really limited right now. I also began to feel very fatigued in the early evening so I fed the dogs and took a nice, hot bath.
Now I am in bed for the night.
My current temperature is 99.9; no body aches or headache like yesterday so that’s progress I think.
I probably should have washed my bedding today but I just didn’t have the energy. I’ll do that tomorrow.
More to come.
UPDATE – Saturday, January 29, 2022 – 7:10 PM
My throat is starting to hurt again so I just took some Tylenol and Tramadol. Will be going to sleep (hopefully!) shortly. I really feel like shit.
UPDATE – Saturday, January 29, 2022 – 9:10 PM
Fever is 101.1 – that’s after the dose of Tylenol 2 hours ago. Head is starting to hurt and my cough is filled with crap. I hope I’m not getting worse.
UPDATE – Sunday, January 30, 2022 – 8 AM
I was sweating profusely all night it seems. This morning my temperature is 98.2 so that’s good. No headache really, and no painful body aches. Just very congested and a nasty cough.
UPDATE – Sunday, January 30, 2022 – 1:30 PM
Starting to feel achey again. Also feel fatigued and weak. Just took some Tylenol.
UPDATE – Sunday, January 30, 2022 – 3:10 PM
Dizzy. Blood pressure is very low – 80/57. Feel like shit. Can’t go to bed because sheets and quilt are being washed.
UPDATE – Sunday, January 30, 2022 – 3:35 PM
Oxygen is 96; no shortness of breath or anything. I’m scared. Really, really scared. If I go to the ER they are likely to admit me and then they won’t let anyone visit me. I don’t want to die alone in the hospital. I don’t.
UPDATE – Monday, January 31, 2022 – 4:11 PM
I stopped my blood pressure medication and my BP readings have been more normal – also, no more dizzy spells. My oxygen has been 93 or higher, no shortness of breath either. My problem is I spend way too much time googling symptoms instead of just listening to my body. My body says I have fatigue, weakness and congestion; nothing else. I just need to listen to my body and rest. I’m also visualizing the little antibodies eating away at the ugly COVID19 virus too.
More to come.
UPDATE – Monday, January 31, 2022 – 7:50 PM
My appetite seems to be coming back. No headache and no fever this evening either. Ryan took another Abbott BinaxNOW Antigen test and it was positive. Ryan sent the principal at the elementary school an email asking if it was still OK to come back tomorrow since he has no symptoms even though he tested positive. I think it is reckless but hey, the CDC said that’s OK because, you know, Delta Air CEO said so.
I hope I sleep better tonight. Last night I was trying to visualize what an antibody looked like so I could visualize the antibodies from the vaccine going after the virus. I realized pretty quickly I had no idea what an antibody actually looked like (while everyone has seen the SARS–CoV-2 virus looks like) so I did some googling.
Anyway, I hope I sleep better tonight.
More to come.
UPDATE – Tuesday, February 1, 2022 – 10:45 AM
I didn’t have a very restful night for some reason, mild headache kept me from sleeping well I think. This morning I feel a fatigue that can’t be described. Had to turn my phone on “DO NOT DISTURB” so I could sleep in. Congestion still there as well. No body aches though so thank goodness for that! Going to log in to work in a few minutes to try to address some issues that are bubbling up and participate in a team meeting this afternoon. I do feel I’m no longer in the woods with respect to being hospitalized or anything so that’s a relief.
Ryan went back to the classroom today despite testing positive yesterday with the Abbott BinaxNOW antigen test. His principal said he could. And this is why this virus is spreading with abandon in this country. People don’t use their common sense and put their risk to others last. When the CDC says it’s OK, despite testing positive, to go back to work, all us worker bees gotta do what we are told (explicit sarcasm).
Get your boosters! Seriously.
UPDATE – Wednesday, February 2, 2022 – 9 PM
Worked about six hours today before my head felt like it would explode. The fatigue and congestion continue. Mentally and emotionally, I feel so depressed.
UPDATE – Thursday, February 3, 2022 – 1:30 PM
So I slept incredibly well last night. I have to say that today is the first day where I almost feel normal! No brain fog and no extraordinary fatigue either. Still a bit of congestion but I can deal with that. Fingers crossed this continues. I so want to feel 100% normal again.
UPDATE – Friday, February 4, 2022 – 2:00 PM
Stomach is really hurting today and I’m pretty sure it’s not related to anything I ate. Didn’t sleep as well as I’d hoped and am still very congested with a mild headache.
UPDATE – Saturday, February 5, 2022 – 10 AM
Slept really well last night and was hoping to run some errands with Ryan today (even though I’m still pretty congested). I took another Abbott BinaxNOW rapid antigen test and I’m positive so I won’t be going anywhere.
UPDATE – Sunday, February 6, 2022 – 12 noon
I took two at-home rapid COVID19 tests today; Abbott BinaxNOW and iHealth. Both still show I’m positive, albeit the line indicating the presence of virus is a bit lighter than it has been. Here’s a pic of the iHealth COVID019 Antigen Rapid Test:
I feel OK other than sinus congestion. Have slept quite a bit this weekend. Hoping this coming week goes better for me with work. Would be nice to actually have sick time instead of being forced to use vacation days. I guess I’m better off than some people in the US who don’t get either. At some point, the USA is going to have to look itself in the mirror and realize that we’re literally killing ourselves for work.
UPDATE – Monday, February 7, 2022 – 1:00 PM
I took 2 COVID19 tests today to make sure; both show me as negative, finally! What a tough couple of weeks it has been. I can only imagine what it would have been like without my 3 Moderna shots.
Get your boosters now, please!
UPDATE – Wednesday, February 9, 2022 – 8:30 PM
Even though I tested negative, I still have a nasty cough and congestion. Will this ever end? Will I have feel healthy again? No one really knows (and it appears cares, either). I found this study showing that I’m not alone in my struggle:
“The results confirm an excess risk for persistent and new sequelae in adults aged ?65 years after acute infection with SARS-CoV-2. Other than respiratory failure, dementia, and post-viral fatigue, the sequelae resembled those of viral lower respiratory tract illness in older adults. These findings further highlight the wide range of important sequelae after acute infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.”
https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj-2021-068414
UPDATE – Sunday, February 13, 2022 – 3:45 PM
Still battling congestion but the fatigue has eased somewhat. The cough is still there too.
UPDATE – Wednesday, February 16, 2022 – 9:15 PM
The last two nights I’ve felt like I was getting sick again; sore throat and just overall yucky flu feeling. I took a COVID19 test (again) and it’s negative. I am also still battling congestion and a cough.
UPDATE – Thursday, March 3, 2022 – 10:10 PM
It’s been 3 full days now where I haven’t had to use nasal spray to breathe. Maybe this horrific virus is gone now? I hope so.
