Awake 5:45 am Temp downtown 15 Clear 6 hrs 8 min daylight
This morning we load our RAV 4 with boxes, a cabinet, blankets & chairs,
then I go solo to the storage unit & unload. Along the route back to our
house, I stop @ Carrs grocery & Fred Meyers both on Debarr Street looking
for extra packing boxes(none @ this time). Another stop @ Andy's Ace
Hardware to buy 10 finish nails, then another stop @ the Carrs on Northern
Lights where I finally find 6 packing boxes.
Meanwhile Kathy is vacuuming all the lower level floor carpets during my
storage unit run & empty box hunt.....& she also disassembled the 2 bunk
beds that the Foote family let us use for the last 3 yrs.
After I return home, I finally nail down those 2 window sills in the lower
bedrooms. Now they are tight, look good & that job is finished.
Kathy & Melissa have been asking when will I move that Ford Van parked in
our lower driveway & do something about the frozen dirt in the tilt
trailer? Well, I've been waiting for warmer temps & no snow. Since the
latest freezing rain addition, a little snow has fallen & traction is
better. Maybe today's the day....it's only 10 degrees outside. First
things first: I plug in the crankcase heater & while the oil is warming
up, I untie some of my winterization rope & remove the moving blankets.
About an hr later, with some hesitation, the 6.9 liter International
Harvester Diesel engine belches gray/blue smoke & clatters like a diesel.
I figure the bare asphalt underneath the van will allow my rear wheels to
get traction for at least 18 ft...so when the engine is sufficiently
warmed up, I gun the diesel engine & both the van & trailer zip right up
our driveway like there was no snow & ice what-so-ever. I am delighted!
With Kathy's help, I back the trailer into the upper garage, disconnect
the trailer & close the garage door...then turn up the heat. It'll
probably take several days for that block of dirt to thaw out.
Meanwhile, tough girl Kathy has carried up the bunk-bed slats & the head &
foot boards into the upper garage. These items will be returned to the
Foote family before we leave.
Kathy then begins shampooing the lower level carpets using an old Kirby
machine that belongs to the Foote family. The unit quits after 10 min &
she calls for my help. I don't know this machine so I take off the motor
cover, check the brushes, wiring & general condition. Without any test
equipment, I can't do anything else. It looks ok to me but the motor won't
run. I ask her to call the Kirby dealer she had talked with earlier this
afternoon. She hands me the phone & the fellow tells me he suspects the
front attachment is loose & that needs to be fastened tight to engaged the
safety switch when using the shampoo system ....oh, ok. That was it...this
time. Now it's time to eat.
7:00 pm Dinner: Kathy's delicious meat loaf with potatoes and gravy,
broccoli, fruit salad & toast.
Late evening: We watch the behind the scenes info on the library DVD about
the movie: "L.A. Confidential." It was nearly as interesting as was the
movie itself.
Lights out: 11:41 pm
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