July 9 Ramblings

 It's July 9 again.  Six years ago we put Fiona down, then two hours later got Bob's diagnosis.

I opted to ignore the ever-present "things to do" list, and not to worry about getting my 2.5 miles of walking in.  I didn't sleep well last night.  This morning I got up, got everyone fed, had my own breakfast, and then headed back to bed, intending to spend the day reading and napping.   That lasted until about noon; I was considering getting to get something to eat when I got a text from Heather at the museum.  She had been preparing to do a load of laundry, and when she opened the washing machine there was a baby opossum in it (those critters can get everywhere)

Of course I offered to come get it, but Suzie has decided that she wants to raise this one - but maybe I could bring some milk formula in when I came in Friday?  Well - there's no way I'm letting a baby possum go two days without milk, even if it is big enough to be eating some solid food.  So I got dressed and took some in, then picked up ice cream for lunch.  *Then* I went back to bed for more reading and napping.

So, ramblings in no particular order

After Rob talked about having way too much basil and other herbs from their hydroponic aerogarden - I bought one.  To buy a countertop garden when I have nine acres of land seems a little odd, but I have no place with any sun.  Last year I planted basic in the sunniest spot I could find - the poor plant grew about three feet tall, with a leaf every six inches, just trying to find some light.  It will be nice to just be able to grab some herbs while I'm cooking.

I'm feeling a little chagrined.  We bought a new fridge after Hurricane Michael because we had to run the generator almost constantly to try to keep the freezer cold.  It wasn't that old, but we had problems with it since Day One.  And I wanted a smaller one - I figured that with less space, we might actually eat food from the fridge instead of storing it until it sprouted fur.   I've noticed that the in-door water is pretty slow - good enough for grabbing a quick mouthful of water, but for a glassful I just head to the sink.  And it's not the worlds greatest ice maker - but it makes enough for me.

A few days ago someone posted in the Highway 20 FaceBook page that they had two new, in-the-box fridge water filters for $30 (usually they're $35 each).  I checked the numbers and it's the right size, so I got them, and put one in.

Well - you're supposed to change the filters about every 6 months.  I had never changed it in 7 years.  Suddenly I have an enthusiastic stream of water through the door, and an abundant supply of ice cubes.  Oops.

I also deal with slow water in the washing machine - it was just trickling in.  The cause is usually a clogged filter in the water line, and it's a quick fix - unscrew the hose, pull out the screen, give it a good scrub, and put it all back together again. 15-20 minute job.
Or two hours.  I pulled the machine out - go YUCK at the floor and wonder if I should call in an archaeologist to do a site survey.  So I got that cleaned up, then turned off the water.  Tried to turn off the water.  The faucets were completely stuck and it took time, muscle, and channel locks to turn them.  The hoses were equally welded on - and as I got one to finally turn, I learned that the water wasn't completely off.  Guess the walls, floor, and myself needed a shower anyway.

I did get the hose off, to discover that the inline filter is not at that point, but where the hose goes into the machine.  Which, for some stupid design reason, is recessed into the back of the machine.   The only way to get to them is to take the back off of the machine.  Which I didn't want to do, because the bolts were small and rusty and I could just visualize them breaking off.  I was able, after much effort and swearing, able to wedge the channel locks back there, and unscrew the hose about an eighth of an inch turn each time. 

But I did finally get the hoses off, cleaned, back on, and now my machine fills (and doesn't flood the kitchen.)  As my mother would say - happy homeownership.  (and I quietly mutter "this didn't used to be my job.")

I got up close and personal with a bear.  Laverne - a black bear at the museum - has been shedding her winter coat but it got matted up badly.  Suzie wanted to try cutting some of the mats off.  There is a wire tunnel that the bear goes through to go into her holding cage; we coaxed her into there and closed the doors at both ends.  It's pretty narrow - Suzie could reach through the wire with a pair of scissors.  My job was to keep Laverne occupied, so I stood on the other side holding a jar with a little syrup in it.  I kept it almost out of reach, so that she had to poke her nose through the wire and really get her tongue out there.  Basically, I got a log's eye view of how bears can lick up larvae after they break a log open.  For such a large animal her tongue is quite narrow, and surprisingly articulate as she explored the jar.  And yes, I did boop the snoot and let her lick drops off of my fingers because when do you get a chance to do that?

I got a bit of a gut punch when I was leaving the museum.  There was a family in the lobby coming in, and I heard "Ann!!!"  It was Edriss, a woman who lived near me some years ago.  So of course we had to do the "OMG it's so good to see you" and I got introduced to the grandkids and then came "How's Bob?"

Funny thing is, there's almost a disconnect.  Sometimes I feel that the woman who lived with Bob for 48 years is just someone that I used to know.  But I envy her life, and wish it was mine.

I still have two of my little opossums, but I released one.  For some reason Angelo grew at a faster rate than his siblings - he was twice their size.  I did the soft release from a cage on the front porch.  The first night I followed him around, watching him explore, until he disappeared into the underbrush.  But he was back in his bed the next morning.  He took off for a couple of days, then mid-morning I saw him sneaking back to bed like a teenager.  I haven't seen him for two days now.  Soon I'll have to do the same thing with Van and Frida.

I've sort of lackadaisically been working on the head for a new puppet - I just don't have much vision for it yet, but the skull is starting to look pretty good.  It does feel good to putz around in the cottage - I haven't been doing enough of that. 

Now back to bed and book.