Tubing down the Provo River

 

Friday

Chris woke me at 6:30. I got up and went through most of the morning list. I watered the plants outside and even some grass. I packed everything on my list and prepared some water bottles. Michelle texted that they were going to be late, which gave me time for the bathroom. I practiced with only my mouthpiece so as not to disturb Chris. I jotted notes for my blog. I quickly ate yogurt and some nuts.

I went outside to wait for Casey and Michelle. When they arrived, I got in the car and we drove for two hours to the Provo river. I was worried about getting in really cold water. We were shown where to park, then we signed in and put on life jackets.  She took my phone.  I thought it was to keep in a waterproof pack, but I found out later she just left it in the car.  So I have no pictures to show.  I found one on the internet.

We jumped on the waiting bus. After a short introduction, the driver drove up several miles to a drop-off point. Three buses worth of people got off at that stop. They all picked up innertubes, some singles and some doubles. We waited for the crowd to subside then carried ours to the bank and climbed in.

It was a cold and wet place to sit! But the sun was hot and it got better. Michelle and I had a double innertube. My sunglasses fell in the water. Somebody let us use one of their paddles. We kept running into the sides and over rocks. The paddle helped. We saw ducks, cows and a beaver. At one point, we had to get out, walk around a bridge and get back in. Not sure why we were not allowed to float under the bridge.

Finally we got to the exit where we were parked. I climbed out and eventually realized I was walking slowly. I was too numb to feel how tired I was. Michelle drove us into the city. We stopped at Harmons for special foods like cheese, etc. I changed into dry clothes in the bathroom. Also got a gallon of raw A2 milk. We went to some other places as well. I bought sunglasses.

Finally we went to Aubergine's restaurant. It was natural and gluten-free place. I got the garden salad with extra goat cheese. We ate, then got back in the car. We drove quite a while, then stopped at a Smith's for sushi. I fell asleep until we went through the pass. Then we chatted until we got to the gate and showed our ID's.

They dropped me off at my house and went home. I hung up all my wet stuff and put the milk and apples away. I jotted notes for my blog. I read e-mail for a bit. Chris made and ate his supper, then went to his gaming session. I walked to the post office. There was no mail and the swap shop seemed emptier. I was expecting a bunch of donations since it was open today.

Walking home, I noticed our sprinklers were on. Yay! Inside, I prepared a baggie of cacao nibs for Michelle. I went to the garden to water and fertilize. I watched part of the walkthru to get ready for the game. I prepared a bottle of tea.

At 8:30, I drove to Michelle's house. She wasn't there, but Casey had the game up. I had Indiana going in circles, trying to figure out how to end up in different places from where he'd been. He needs to find 4 candles, each one in a different place. But mostly he punctured the raft, repaired it and picked up more repair kits. Eventually, he did find a lighthouse where he jumped into a window to push a lever that opened the front door. But he could not jump back to the walkway. He died over and over and finally I quit. Michelle came home and went on and on about someone not following good advice. I made my goodbye's and went home.

Chris was still up. I got ready for bed and he joined me.

Relinquishment of Responsibility

 

Thursday

I was up by 7:30. I handwashed a top and put it in the dryer. I watered plants, and set a trap. I completed the morning list. I popped out gopher balls from the molds. None of them were good. They had so many bubbles that it looked like champagne. Thankfully, I had one left over from the last batch. I put it in the tiny bags and wrote a note. After putting it in with the ball, I took my Bible and went to the chapel.

I unlocked the door and the ladies who were waiting went inside. Time was short, so we quickly read and discussed our chapters. Then we left. Diane and I went to the school for the relinquishment ceremony for CSM Cho.

It seemed to be already in progress, but that turned out to be an unadvertised award ceremony. I gave CSM Cho the gopher ball. Then we found our seats. Michelle sat behind me and we talked till Chris arrived. His assigned seat was next to me.

The ceremony started with an invocation and the passing of the colors, which went quickly. Then the colonel spoke and Cho spoke. It was touching. Chaplain gave the benediction. Then we lined up to shake her hand or hug her and say goodbye. I walked out with Michele who also came. Chris took her back to work.

I walked to my car at the chapel and drove home. I drank fiber water (my backup fiber doesn't gel), and read online. I made breakfast, then ate it while watching The Highwire. I read through e-mail, and jotted notes.

I walked to the post office for mail, then stopped in the swap shop to take pictures for promotion. I found a jointed skeleton and sent the pic to Isadora and to Michelle. I thought we could make another Doug out of it. Michelle jumped in her car and came over to get it. She dressed it in swap shop clothing. She gave me a ride and took him home.

I listened to NWNW while piecing puzzles. Chris came home with a pizza. He took the pork out of the oven. He wrapped the pan in an old towel and we drove to the pavilion by the pool for a pot luck given to honor EMS.

We put our food on the food table, then helped Mikaela carry drinks and food in from her vehicle. Then we went home again to get napkins and my swimming suit. Returning to the pavilion, I hung out with Janet and Jenni until Michelle arrived. We waited for the EMS personnel to eat before we got in line.

After eating and talking, I put on my suit. I joined Jenni and Michelle in the pool. We played around until the pool closed at 7:45. I hung out until Chris was ready, then we took our stuff home. I changed into regular clothes and went to the garden to water. I found two mysterious holes near the far tomato plants. I picked up the metal sheets that I had stuck in the ground. I added water to the compost tea.

When I got home, I worked on my blog, then made tea. We watched an episode of Criminal Minds. I listened to Off The Record, and pieced some puzzles. Then I got ready for bed.

Updated regulations

 

Wednesday

I got up at 7:3. I pulled out the reuteri from the yogurt machine. It was supposed to get another 12 hours, but it was done. I prepared for coffee morning. I boiled water and cleaned a 5 gallon jug. After coffee morning, I cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms.

Chris came home with groceries around lunch time. I vacuumed and mopped. I laid out in the sun. I put milk in the dehydrator to coagulate into gasseri. I steamed for 2 minutes, then showered. I rested for a bit, then ate yogurt.

I listened to a podcast, then made and ate egg salad. I read e-mail. Housing said they had updated their regulations. So I went to Housing to get a copy of a document that they updated. It was a quarter inch thick! I went to the library to return a book. Michele walked up and asked me for a ride home. She went into the library with me. Chris was there having just finished his game. I picked out another book and we chatted with the librarian. I took Michele to her house.

I went home. Chris was already there and made his supper. I walked to the post office for the mail. No snakes. I read e-mail, then heard him on a conference call with his siblings. After that, I went to the garden to water with fertilizer and to weed. I watched old tapping videos to clear some of my unread e-mails.

I worked on my blog. I made tea and we watched an episode of Criminal Minds. I looked up some of the characters. I went back to watching old links in e-mail. Finally I got ready for bed.

Shopping in Tooele

 

Tuesday

I got up about 7:15, I did some Sudoku, then got dressed to go out and water the plants. I also checked the traps. Then I went to the kitchen to start the morning list. I got it done, then decided to make more reuteri. I could not find a jar with a plastic lid, so I used a quart jar with no lid. However, even that turned out to be too tall. Also, I had trouble dissolving the powder into a small amount of water. It made lumps. But I was running out of time.

I got the yogurt maker started, then put 4 yogurts in a bowl and ate them. Michelle drove up. I grabbed my water bottle and went out to get in her car. We headed to Tooele. We stopped at the vision place to pick up my new glasses with a focal point for music on a stand. Then we went to Melanie's and got some sale items. We went to Hobby Lobby for fairy stuff. I just got glue. Finally we went to an ethnic grocery store. I got pigs feet and cow tongue. She got homemade jerky.

On our way back to base, she shared the jerky with me. She dropped me off then went to take a piece to Casey at work. I made and ate breakfast while reading e-mail. She dropped my water bottle off at my house and then I went to the post office to get the mail. I talked to the postmaster about the snake. Then I went to Michelle's house to get a drawstring bag. She showed me her fairy project which is coming along nicely. I also saw Isadora's octopus project.

I went home. I read online. I read outside in the sun. I came back in. A man came over to install a new toilet seat. I went back to reading online. I ate some frozen watermelon, then worked on my blog.

Chris came home from work. I listened to Telegram videos. I made tea and we watched TV. He went to bed and I stayed up to read. I pieced puzzles while listening to tapping videos. Then I went to bed.

Weeding with Cedric

 

Monday

Chris came home after midnight and climbed in bed to sleep. I woke up before 7. We cuddled. Then I got up to prepare for the day. He showered and went to work. I went through my morning list.

I watered the outdoor plants. I refilled the water jugs. I brought in the eggs. I pulled up a sprung trap and found a live gopher with his leg trapped. I apologized to him and did him in.

I read e-mail. I collected a bucket of compost from the pile. I put it in my trunk and went to the garden and started weeding. I was expecting Cedric to help. When he didn't show at 10, I called Michelle. She brought him presently. He and I weeded for an hour, then I took him home. My hands were dirty so I said I would pay him later.

I filled a bunch of capsules with fiber powder, and also at least a month's worth with prebiotics. I was making breakfast when Chris came home for lunch and cooked the ground beef. I ate breakfast, then posted for band to Facebook.

I laid out in the sun and read. I went to the garden to weed some more and spread compost. I covered the bare soil with dead weeds. I kept an ear out for gopher mitigation by butane. I did not hear anything.

I read online, trying to catch up on e-mail. I hardboiled two batches of eggs. I cut up zucchini and put it in pickling brine.

Chris was gone, so I ate some ground beef that he made at lunchtime. I went to the chapel for band. We played through the hymn for next week, and most of the songs in the Broadway book. We had just called it quits when Elizabeth arrived. So we played Adel Vise and Memories because she has a good part in both. Then we went home around 7.

I watched some health videos. Then at 9, I went back to the garden to make sure it watered correctly. When I got home, I wrote my blog post and finished a few windows so I could close them.

Chris came home before 10. He said it was too late to watch TV. Later he went to bed. I stayed up reading till after 11, then got ready for bed and retired for the night.

Resin project

 

Sunday

I started the morning list, I watered the outside plants. I pulled up a trap and caught a gopher. I noticed most of the onions by the dining room were gone. I finished the list, then made breakfast mix. I took a shower.

I made and ate breakfast. I got dressed for church. I cut up the cheese squares, thinking there may be lots of people at church. I took them to the chapel.

I left the squares in the back. I assembled my trombone, then greeted the chief of ATEC chaplains, who was going to give the sermon. We conversed, then the service started with what few people had come. We sang songs from the hymnal because the AV system wasn't working. Then greetings, announcements, readings and prayer. The chief gave a short sermon. The musicians played two hymns. He gave a benediction and the service was over. People chatted together in groups. Jenni and I took turns holding the new baby. Lelanie and I went to check the traps in the kitchen and we found a mouse in one. I told her to tell her dad. She did, but the mouse remained.

Unthinkingly, I walked out with my trombone. I went back to return the trombone to the front pew and to throw out the mouse. Then I went home to change clothes. I put gopher skulls in a dish to rinse and to bleach. I ate fruit and read e-mail. I started counting hours for VMIS. Then I realized I hadn't posted for Friday. I rinsed the skulls, dried them, then put them in molds.

I took everything to Michelle's house. We used Casey's scale to pour the two-part resin in equal parts by weight, then mixed for 4 minutes. I did the first pour, but there wasn't enough. Casey made more. He poured the rest of mine and the little river on Michelle's project and something on Isadora's project.

Then we decided to go to the pool. She sprayed conditioner in my hair so it wouldn't get so dry. I went home to get ready for the pool. When I got there, I jumped in. We chatted with Jenni. When the lifeguards threw us out, I went to the garden to water a bit. Then home to change.

I took meat out of the freezer for tomorrow. I drank blueberry chia water. I searched for an answer to the question about using a dehydrator to make the resin dry faster. I got caught up in reading drivel on Facebook. I stopped, then posted to my blog for Friday and Saturday. I watered the indoor plants, turned on the porch light for Chris, then put out egg money for the morning. I prepared for bed, then remembered to finish entering numbers for VMIS.

Sewing class

 

Saturday

I got up around 8. After doing Sudoku, I called Tina to see if she wanted cleaning today because I could put off sewing class till next week. But she didn't answer. I went through the morning list. I added milk to several yogurts and put them in the dehydrator with the honey. I threw the guest sheets and towels in the washer. I watered and reset both gopher traps. I read by the red light. I posted for sewing class and Project Night on Facebook.

I made and ate breakfast, then laid out in the sun. After a short while (it was 105F), I toweled off and got dressed. I made a Swansons order. I picked up 2 zuchini advertised on Facebook, then proceeded to sewing class.

I went in the chapel and started setting up. Wendy arrived to help. We chatted then Jenni came. Wendy helped her cut pieces for the balloon cover. I heard the fridge was bad, so I looked through it. There was a tray of moldy watermelon from VBS back in June. Jenni stopped sewing. She and Wendy helped go through the food and throw out bad and expired stuff. I threw out a dead mouse caught in a trap. When I pulled the stove forward, I found a live one underneath the stove.

We went home about 4:30. I picked up the mail and shoved abandoned donations into the swap shop. I went home and worked on my blog. I checked e-mail and messages. I ate hardboiled eggs for supper.

At 7, I opened the chapel for Project Night. Jenni came to finish her ball. Michelle came to work on her fairy house project. Then Casey came with Cedric. I don't know what they worked on because the church kitchen was my project. I scrubbed the stove and the floor underneath. Hot chocolate had spilled and dried – attracting the mice. I also worked on the floor of the fridge – scraping up cardboard from a soda box that had been removed. And spilled soda.

At 9, I called it quits. I chatted with Jenni and Michelle, then we locked up and went home. I stopped at the garden even though it was dark. With headlights, I was able to water the one plant that the sprinklers never reach. When I got home, I read online and pieced puzzles. Then I went to bed.