Potluck

Sunday

I got up at 8, not having slept well. The whole left side of my body had restless syndrome. Weird. I read e-mail and came across on article on Kaatsu. It involves resistance bands and combats sarcopenia. I wanted to order it but needed Chris' approval because of the price. I went outside to water the plants and the grass. Some things are burning up in the heat, regardless of how much water they get.

I asked for a massage and Chris gave me one. He took his shower and I took mine. I asked about Kaatsu and he said to ask the previous colonel. So I texted his wife, 'cause that's the only number I had. Then I looked up Myst and Riven. Some version of Myst has a extra age in it. And it was good to read and be clear on the plot.

I made and ate breakfast. I put sprouts in a container for church. I also grabbed the jar of pickled green onions and my trombone. When I got to the chapel, I put the foods in the fridge and unpacked my trombone. I held the door for Saronna and Sophia. I asked Sgt King where the tables were and he found them and set them up in the fellowship hall.

After the service, we chatted then set up food in the fellowship hall. Pastor Chris said a prayer and we lined up to get food. Jenni had made chicken and rice. Michelle brought a salad. Saronna brought a hot dip with crackers, and two people brought cookies. We had a nice lunch with conversation. Then we cleaned up and went home. Jenni took the leftover sprouts and Saronna took the leftover pickled onion greens.

I contacted Tonja, then took her a farewell present: stuff in the kind of basket she likes. We stood in her driveway and chatted for some time. Saronna called to say she left her phone in the chapel. So when I was done with Tonja, I went to the chapel to get her phone and dropped it off at her house. But she wasn't home.

I stopped by the company house to pull down the floor mats which were air-drying and place them on the bathroom floors. Then I locked it up, and went home. I changed clothes. I cut up some radishes for pickling. Chris cut up potatoes and gave me the eyes to plant. So I planted them near the onions (which aren't growing). Potatoes do well here and make a nice green plant. Too bad you can't eat the leaves.

Then we got on Discord to talk about what our characters are going to do during their 3 weeks of down time. I had no clue. I had to do a web search. Lots of interesting suggestions. But mostly we were quiet and I was disappointed that we were not playing the game.

Around 8, Chris and John signed off. When I realized that, I signed off too. I was reading Telegram messages anyway. Then I worked on my blog. I heated the rest of the tea, and we watched two episodes of Andromeda. I helped Chris make the bed with clean sheets as he explained to me that he was leaving on Tuesday for a gaming convention on Thursday.

Workout, pool, and game night

Saturday

We slept in late and had some cuddle time. I got dressed and went outside to fertilize the plants. I read e-mail for a bit, then at 10 went to the company house to get the sheets started. I also stopped by the post office and found a package of fabric from Joanns. I came home to check Facebook messages.

I went to 607 and cleaned the stove and its alcove for an hour. I started on the cupboard beside it when I got a text to open the swap shop. I went to the company house to throw the sheets in the dryer and put the towels in the washer. Then I headed to the swap shop and greeted them. I unlocked it and they looked for something they didn't mean to donate, but didn't find it.

I went home for breakfast and read e-mail.

At 3, I went to the company house to clean and make beds for 1:35. I went to the gym for a weighted workout. Then I went to the garden to check on the irrigation system and to water the strawberry plants which looked to have burnt up in the 104 temp yesterday. I went home for supper and had leftover steak. Jamie brought cash for 607. I was tired but I put on a suit and went to the pool. She arrived as I was getting in. I swam around and talked to Michelle and then Jenni. Finally I saw Saronna and her kids. I went down the kiddie slide just as the pool was closing. I climbed out and dried off and went home.

I ate some papaya and rested. Then I got the water container and poured a bottle of tea. I went to the company house to put the clean duvet cover back on the duvet. It took 10 minutes. Then 1 went to game night at Michelle's.

Casey had the 3d version of Myst up. I played around with it but had trouble navigating. So he put up the regular version. I used my last save point to play to the end of the game. It was very anti-climactic. I handed Atrus the page he kept begging to have, then he ignored me and continued writing in his book. Nothing else was clickable, so I clicked on his book and found myself back in the Myst library.

Then Casey tried uploading Riven but it was having a problem, so he brought up Secret of Monkey Island. The terrain didn't look familiar, but the main character's name was, so I played around with it until Riven was up.

By then it was almost 11. We ran through the opening sequence, then shut it down. He carried the filled water container to my car. I said goodnight to Michelle to appeared to be asleep, and went home. Chris was asleep, so I went through the usual nightly routine and hit the hay.

Dinner party instead of Game Night

Friday

I got up late. Almost 8. I got dressed and watered all the plants, inside and out. I tied up a tomato plant with some netting for a tiny bit of shade. I saw a strange critter skulking around. Chris came out and identified it as a weasel. A gopher had covered one of the sprinklers with a mound of dirt as his new home. I watered it until he had to come up for air and, well, he won't be doing that again.

I used the old laptop with the new one to make sure all the same apps were loaded at the bottom of the screen. Then I got online to check e-mail for a bit. Chris seemed anxious for me to move over to the newer one. But when I realized it was 10am, I dropped everything and went to 607 to clean.

I got there a little after 10. I started on the fridge. Jamie came over and said someone had been here, going through the swap shop stuff. I suggested we change the garage code. Neither of us knew how. I finished cleaning inside the fridge and behind the fridge. It was just after noon when I got home. I made breakfast and ate it while reading e-mail on the less new laptop. Chris didn't come back from the office until after 1. He had pizza for lunch. Then we went to Tooele for groceries. We listened to most of the last CD on the way back. We shopped at the commissary, then went home to unload.

We were supposed to have dinner on the hill, so I resisted any snacking. There really wasn't time to clean and I was tired, so I tried to do little things that I never get a chance to do. Then I took a shower and put on nicer shorts and t-shirt.

At 6, I wanted to jot down something for my blog, but I could not find the file! And there was no time to look. I took some sweet potato plants and we went up the hill to the commander's house. The present and future CSM's were there with their kids. I talked to the autistic son until we were called to dinner. Then we got plates of food (beef stroganoff and broccoli) and sat in groups to eat. I ate outside with Shannon and her kids. It was good to be away from all the wi-fi in the house.

Later we went inside and she brought out the two little dogs. So cute! The Rawls family went home. I think the Henderson kids did too. Their dad stayed to talk to the remaining 4 of us: first in the kitchen and then outside in the front. It was hard to break away for game night because new topics kept coming up.

When we finally got home, it was just before 10. Too late for game night. Chris went to bed. I texted Michelle that I wasn't coming, then tried to work on my blog while she kept texting me back. Finally she signed off and I finished my posting and went to bed.

A cleaning of opportunity

Thursday

I woke up while Chris was taking a shower. I had no trouble getting out of bed. So I started my day in the usual way with supplements and brushing. I went outside to water the plants. I made up a new week of supplements. I went to Heather's house to clean. I called Jamie to find out what she hadn't cleaned yet. I mopped floors and cleaned drawers that I thought had already been cleaned. Jamie came at 10. I went to Housing to schedule the inspection of the house.

Then I went to the post office to unlock the swap shop door for Jamie. Next door was the AC guy. I asked him if he had a key to the Mommy-n-Me room. He opened that door. I went to my car to get cleaners, which I happened to have from doing Heather's house.

I cleaned the insides of all the windows facing the post office and found out that half the dirt was on the outside anyway. I went home for extra supplies and came back to clean the outsides. Chris came by for the mail and said I should be at home waiting for the laptop to be delivered.

When I finished, I went home for breakfast, and watched The Highwire. A man from Maintenance came by to fix the door jamb to the garage. I finished The Highwire and read e-mail waiting for laptop to be delivered so I could leave the house.

Finally I mixed up seed crackers, committing myself to baking, when the doorbell rang. I signed for the laptop, and texted Chris. While the crackers baked, I went to the swap shop with brackets for the metal shelf. I talked to Tonja, Jenni and Shiloh. Then I went to the library to get new book. I talked to the librarian who is leaving. He said he would hire us to clean his little place. Just in time, I went home and turned the oven off.

I ate leftover steak, and posted to my blog. Chris came home with pizza. I read e-mail and listened to audios while Chris futzed with the new laptop. Then he asked me to load my latest files onto a storage device, which he then moved to the new laptop. Later he presented me with the new laptop. I opened most of the same windows that the first one had open. Some required navigation. I made tea and we watched Andromeda. Chris went to bed and I stayed up to jot notes on the new laptop.

Wednesday back pain

Wednesday

I slept in the same position all night. I could not roll to the right or left. I woke up with Chris' alarm at 4:30. I asked him to help me out of bed so I could use the bathroom and walk around. Then I laid down while he went running. After his shower, he got dressed and used the backboard to get me up again.

He helped me get the walker unfolded, then went to work. I walked around for a bit, then took MMS and started coffee morning. I had to make adaptations because sitting wasn't comfortable. I read outside for half an hour, finishing my book.

After a lot of tapping, I was able to clean the bathrooms and kitchen. I also washed dishes. I vacuumed and mopped the kitchen floor. At 2 I took the last dose of MMS and went to open the swap shop. But Jenni was already there with Tonja's keys. Lisa found a suitcase. We chatted. Men came to fix the AC. So we ladies left.

I went to Heather's house to clean for an hour. I did not do baseboards. Walls, doors and mopping floors. Then I met the ladies at the gym. We walked the track for over half an hour.

Then Michelle and Tonja went to get some fabric and a sewing machine while I waited at the chapel. It took a rather long time, so I trimmed the rose bush. And I waited some more. Tonja came back with the machine and boxes of fabric. We moved them into the chapel storage. We talked for a bit, sorry that she is moving soon.

I went home and got online. Chris did not come home for supper until after Mass. I ate some celery. I worked on my blog post. I made tea and we watched Andromeda. Later Chris went to bed and I stayed up to read e-mail.

 

Back trouble

Tuesday

I got up soon after 7 when Chris left for work. I scrubbed my feet in the washbowl (gets harder each year), then got dressed. I tried to access the internet but there was no connection. I checked the cord, and worked on my blog post. But still, there was no connection. This happened yesterday and it sorted itself out at some point in the morning. I think it was a short power outage. But we haven't had one today.

I went through the bag from Melanie's and muscle tested the items inside. I went cleaning for two hours at Heather's house. I hurt my back scrubbing cat urine off of the baseboards.  Is it because  I missed my workout last week?  Jenni came over to sort stuff in the garage. I left and stopped by the garden to make sure the irrigation system was working.

I went home for breakfast. I read e-mail with the frozen Chillow behind me. Chris came home for lunch, and asked me to make bread. I assembled the ingredients, and pre-rose the yeast. I joined a website and entered my reading hours for the library.

It was after 2 when I went to Saronna's house. We played in her front yard because everyone was sleeping, then she gave me a bike for the swap shop. A man walked up to ask when it would be open and I said in a few minutes. I went home to drop off my trombone, then went to open the swap shop. Sherri met me there and Jenni was there. The man showed up too. We got into a conversation as Sherri looked for basic household stuff till hers arrives.

Finally we left and I locked up. I went home, then remembered the flute. I texted Dillon's mom and she said to meet them at the commissary. So I did. When I saw them, she said he was excited. I showed him how to put the flute together and how to clean it out after use.

I met someone in the commissary parking lot who kept addressing me as Miss Fern. She looked familiar. I went home to sit against the Chillow, in a rocking motion to keep my lower back limber.

I was listening to Russel Brand when Chris came home from work and started making steaks. Jamie came over to give me a contract and discuss an offer to do weekly cleaning at the barracks for the air force. Then I ate supper and made tea. We watched two episodes of Andromeda. Chris went to bed, and I stayed up reading e-mail. I wasn't able to do all the usual stretches, but I did some and went to bed.

 

Birthday party and music session

Monday

I got up and watered the lawn and outdoor plants. I watered the other side of the house while mowing just the really green grass. I posted to Facebook about meeting tonight to play music.

At 10 I went to the newest house. I put the stove filters and big burner bowls in a bin of hot ammonia water and slid that into the stove. I put vinegar-soaked paper towels in the toilets to get the ring off.

I went to the swap shop to open it for the colonel's wife. We chatted at the front desk. Then I followed her into the swap shop for a minute. I left to go back to cleaning. I got my stuff from Heather's house and moved it to the new house. I cleaned in the kitchen until Saronna (who I called) came to get stuff from the fridge, including ice cream for her party tonight. I swore to her that I thought her party was tomorrow night. Yikes!

After she left, I cleaned another cabinet, then went home for lunch. I also ate two cobs of corn from the new fridge. Then I read e-mail for while. Jamie called to say she hadn't done anything in Heather's house except move stuff to the garage. Sigh.

So I went to the new house and worked in the kitchen for 35 minutes. Then I took my cleaning stuff back to Heather's house. I met Michelle at the gym. She brought me some ginger-cayenne juice. We walked the track for half an hour or more. Then I went home and took a tbsp of the juice. I sat down to read e-mail and cool off. Then I discovered a Facebook message about the new MWR chief needing to go to the swap shop at 4. But it was 4:30. So I drove to their new house and rang the doorbell, but no one was there. So I went to the swap shop in case they were waiting. No one there. I texted Chris and went home. I laid down and did some tapping. Then I went back to my laptop to check for messages. I tapped with a video, then went on to other videos.

I worked on my blog. I picked lettuce and made a salad. After eating it, I packed music stuff in my car. I went to Saronna's house for her July kids birthday party. I found Saronna in the back yard minding a covered box. The game was to feel around in the box for 60 seconds, then write down everything you can remember. So I did. But 60 seconds wasn't long enough to identify each object and find them all. So after writing down what I remembered, I started guessing until I had a long list.

A man was cooking hamburgers. So we all got one. Michelle came, so I talked to her for a bit. The little kids were tying up teenagers. There was a tug of war which Moira's team won. But all too soon it was 6:50. I said my thank you's and goodbyes and went to the chapel.

Lisa had just arrived. She helped me carry in my trombone, music stand and pile of band music. We talked for a bit, then Dillon came with his mom. We got the snare drum from the back of the chapel and moved it up front. I handed him the percussion part, and gave the score to Lisa, who played keyboard. We played some short pieces from the band book, and some hymns. They were both very good players and very enthusiastic. We played for almost an hour and then my lip gave out. Lisa had to go, but I got to talk to Dillon and his mom for some time. Dillon said he could get some of the other kids to come and play. I promised to bring him a flute and he took the flute book.

When I got home, it was after 8:30. I had already done my blog post, so I made tea and we watched two episodes of Andromeda. The first one was pretty violent. After watching, Chris soon went to bed, but I stayed up to listen to something, and then I went to bed, too.

 

The last of the power outages?

 Sunday

I got up before 8. Chris made coffee, then went to the office when the power went out. I went outside to water the grass and plants. It seemed overcast, which was nice. But around 10 the sun came out. I mowed the grass that was still green, in the front, side and back yards.

When I came in, I drank water. I went to the company house to fold the towels and sheets from the dryer. The occupant was just leaving, so I waited a few seconds, then went in and finished up. When I got home, I read the chapters of Revelation that were prescribed. Then I laid down with an earthing mat to enjoy the lack of electricity and wi-fi.

I got up just before noon to start breakfast. The power came back on. I ate breakfast then took a shower while Chris folded laundry. I put the cheese squares in a different container and took them to church. I left them on the back table and went up front to unpack my trombone. I warmed up for a minute. I talked to people as they came in.

Then Pastor Chris started the service. We sang a song with the overhead, then he preached from the first chapter of Revelation. He was adamant that there is no 's' on the end. At the end, he said to reread the chapters from last week. We enjoyed snack and conversation. Jenni reminded us that next week is the potluck.

I went home and read e-mail while listening to Chris game with the voices. I heard John tell him that we aren't gaming tonight because he and Michele are going to see the Barbie movie. Jenni came over to get the swap shop keys. I drove over there myself because I had stuff, too. We all put stuff inside and I locked it again.

I went home to read Telegram messages. I jotted notes for my blog. I ate leftover fish for supper. Later I made tea. We watched two episodes of Andromeda, finishing season one. It meant the last episode was a real cliffhanger! I wanted to go on to season two, but Chris said we should wait until tomorrow. We dressed the bed in clean sheets. I put away laundry. Chris went to bed and I stayed up to read e-mail.

A long day of scavenging and gaming

Saturday

We woke up late. Chris went to make coffee but the power was already off. We stayed in bed for hours. Then I got up to water outside. The sun was full and hot already, but I did the best I could. I picked up small crystals that got dumped by the wind on the back porch. They are painful to step on. I tried hitting the clumps with a hammer but then they flew all over.

Then I came in for awhile and read e-mail. I opened a young coconut and consumed the water and meat. About 11:45 I went to the garden. I fixed the irrigation system, again. I filled the jugs with water and spiked them with lactobacillis, then watered the vegetables.

When I got home, I grabbed the homemade laundry detergent and some toilet bowl cleaner. I went to the company house to get the laundry started and to drip blue stuff in the toilets. Then I went home to make breakfast. Chris was gone to the office.

I read e-mail until 1:30. Then I went to the Antelope Inn. Tom was sitting there by the open door. He thought I said 1:00. He turned the lights on for me and left. Soon Michelle showed up. We went down in the basement to get the vacuum attachments that I wanted, and the poles to the shelving unit. I grabbed some sheets as well.

Then other people began to arrive, courtesy of word-of-mouth advertising. I went through the rooms looking for things other people would miss. I collected rolls of toilet paper and bathroom cleaners and light bulbs that aren't sold any more. People helped each other carry out recliners and tables and such. The colonel and his family came. He measure the cabinets on the wall in the office. It had never occurred to me to get cabinets. He helped me take down some shelving to use in my garage. His wife and I looked through the office for anything that needed shredding. Jenni came and got pictures and mirrors and an ironing board. We put a table out for Revonna. Jamie got cleaners and maybe some other stuff. Those who came had a ball.

Finally Michelle and I left, turning off the power, and closing the door. We went to our respective homes. I ate some barbecued meats that Chris brought home from a party last night. Then I snacked on frozen fruit to cool off.

When I could put it off no longer, I went to the company house to finish laundry and clean. There was a man staying there. So I put the laundry in the dryer and cleaned around him. I mopped the floors and left.

The other ladies were already at the pool. I threw on my suit and grabbed my big clock and met them there. I showered off first because of all the dust from the Antelope Inn. Then I joined them in the pool. I swam circles around them as we talked. It was fun and informative. The life guard let us stay a little late. I toweled off and went to my car while Jenni transferred some mirrors to the lifeguard's car.

When I got home, I changed into dry clothes. I wrote my blog post. I went to game night since we didn't actually play last night. I brought the last of the fermented cheese. She really enjoyed it.

I pulled up the game on the TV, then worked my way through the Selenitic Age and returned to the library. I put the last red sheet in the red book. The man trapped inside said I had to go into the fireplace and type in pattern 158 from the last book on the middle shelf. So I looked it up and did that. I found myself in an elevator which went up. At the top there was a cubby with a red sheet and a blue sheet. I picked up the red sheet and took it down to the red book. It released the man trapped inside who then proceeded to tell me what a fool I was and he trapped me inside the book and the game ended. Michelle thought that was very funny. 

I reloaded the game from the last save point and went through the Selenitic Age again, picking up the blue sheet instead. I used the cheat book to get through the maze, and returned to the library. I put the blue sheet in the blue book. Then I went into the fireplace and typed in the pattern. I went up to the cubby, but this time noticed there was a green book above the pages. I clicked on it and the father of the two trapped men was inside. He said both his sons were evil and to bring him his last page to free him.

It was 11, so I saved the game there. We chatted a little longer and I went home. Chris was already in bed. I turned things off, did my stretches, and went to bed.

Michelle is back!

Friday

I got up around 7:30. I got dressed and went outside to water the plants.

I read e-mail till 10. I went to Shelby's house to work in the living room on windows and baseboards. At noon I headed home. I passed Jamie and we had a short chat. When I got home, I made breakfast and ate it at my laptop. We decided not to go to Tooele because there was only one thing I needed from town and it could wait until next week.

I read e-mail for an hour or more. I laid out in the sun, flipping from front to back several times. Later we went to the commissary for groceries. When we got back, I went to Heather's house to sweep. Jenni had done a great job sorting, and she took the stuff that needed to be returned to the school. Good job, Jenni!

Then I went to Shelby's house. I did the front door and entrance. I finished walls and baseboards downstairs. I texted Jamie to let her know what was finished. Then I went by the next house to see how they were doing on moving out. Big moving truck in the driveway! There were men in a nearby house sitting around and grilling. When I got home, Chris said he was going to join Gary and the group who were grilling. Go you!

As I ate leftover fish, Michelle texted that she was back in town and had run into Chris at the commissary. Later Chris texted me the same thing. I made a salad from the fridge and the tower garden. I watched a tapping video on choices and chose to digest the salad easily. Then I listened to something as I ate the salad.

I worked on my blog, then got ready for game night. I went to Michelle's house with the water container and some fermented cheese. She ate the cheese right away, even though I cautioned her. Then we talked all evening exchanging experiences from our past two weeks apart. It was almost 11:30 when I left. I got home to find Chris already in bed. I turned stuff off and did my stretches then went to bed.

 

The very helpful Jenni

Thursday

Chris went to work late. I got up after he left. I brushed and went outside to water the plants. But they didn't need much because it rained last night and everything was wet. I made up a new batch of supplements for the week. Then I read e-mail until 10.

I went to Shelby's house to clean. Her garage was open and Jamie was not there. So I did baseboards in the kitchen. I walked to Heather's house to get the vacuum. Jamie came and was sad. But she took a drink and said we should write down everything we have to do in Shelby's house in case we have to ask for more money. Then she got to work on bedrooms because I had put ammonia in the tub.

So I went back to work on Shelby's house. I cleaned the base cabinets and utility room. I wiped off a lot of dust from the header of the hanging blinds. At noon, we compared notes and agreed to meet at 2 for a signing.

I went home for breakfast and to watch The Highwire. Chris was home for lunch. I brought in the mail. I opened the package from Swansons. I paused The Highwire and went to the signing. She wasn't there but the inspectors were. We kinda hung around talking until Jamie showed up with the contract. We all signed and he said the movers were coming tomorrow and Saturday. Jamie agreed that he could pay by Venmo and she gave him her Venmo number. I wondered how she was going to pay me my share when we finished the house.

I went home with the contract and the keys to store with the other contracts. I hydrated and finished The Highwire. Then I went to the gym to firm up plans for Saturday. Jamie called and asked me to remove the alcohol from the counter where she left it. So I went to get it, thinking she was there, but she wasn't. I called Jenni to get what she wanted from Heather's fridge and garage. So she did. That allowed me to clean the refrigerator while she went upstairs and organized the mess left behind. She had a ball so I was very happy to let her make whatever piles she wanted.

At 5:30 I prepared to leave. I told her to turn off the lights and close the garage door when she was done. She gave me a bag of trash to put in the dumpster. Then I drove home. I stopped at the garden to check that all was well. Then I stopped at the mulberry tree and scooped up some fallen berries to use as seed.

When I got home, I planted the old berries. Then as I was going after some pickled eggs, Chris came home and cooked fish. So I waited and read e-mail until he was done. Then I had fish for supper. I needed to go to the garden, but was too tired. I wrote my blog post instead. We watched two episodes of Andromeda. Chris nearly fell asleep. He went to bed, but I stayed up till 11 to read e-mail.

 

The greasiest kitchen

Wednesday

I got up just before 8. I started taking MMS. I got coffee morning started, then went outside to water the plants. There were moms and kids at the park across the street. I dealt with a gopher mound, but no gopher came up. So no floor show for the moms.

After meditating and tapping, I cleaned the bathrooms and kitchen. I washed dishes. I took my shower, then vacuumed. I threw the colored load in the dryer.

I went to Shelby's house to clean at 2. I spent 2.5 hours scraping grease off of cupboards and walls. I saw Jamie had been there and taken the blinds down to soak. Then I went to Heather's house to clean while I waited for Saronna. She walked over with her wagon and her 2yo. She had a cooler which she filled from the fridge and freezer. Then she found some stuff for the kids in the garage.

It was after 5:30 when she headed back home. I offered her and her son a ride, but she declined. As they walked home and I drove home, it began to rain. I found Chris was already home. We talked for a bit, then he headed to church. I jotted notes for my blog as I listened to Mike Adams talk about food forests.

I worked on e-mail until after 8. I did my blog post for yesterday, then made tea. We watched two episodes of Andromeda. Later he went to bed, but I stayed up too late, reading e-mail.

 

Neighborhood meeting

Tuesday

I woke up while Chris was getting ready for work. I stayed bed until after 7:30. Then I got up and dressed. I cut up one of Chris' old work shirts and used it for mulch on the flowerbox. I planted the remaining tomato in a large pot and watered it well. I watered all the other potted plants and then the beds. Then I watered the grass that was looking weak. I think our sprinkler system needs work.

I came in for water and to check e-mail. I got a call saying someone wanted to fix our kitchen lights at 9:30. But around 9:50, I decided I had to leave for cleaning. And then he was there. He agreed to come back around lunch time.

I went to Heather's house because there was a car in Shelby's driveway. I worked in the kitchen. I texted Tonja and Jenni about food in the fridge and stuff in the garage. Tonja came over to look and got some puzzles and food. At 11, I went to Shelby's house. No one was there. I worked on the stove and walls and the sliding glass door.

At noon I went home to make breakfast and read e-mail. Before one, the maintenance man arrived to fix the lights. As he worked, I jotted notes for my blog. Chris came home for lunch and the two men talked. They decided we should have LED lights in the kitchen.

I continued to read e-mail, then around 2:30 went over to Shelby's to clean. I worked on a very greasy oven. I went home after 5 to have a bite to eat and throw the colored load in the washer.  There was no time for the monthly quilt guild meeting.

 Then I went to the community club for the neighborhood meeting. The colonel and his family came, plus both current and future CSM's, and people from MWR. I think Jenni and I were the only people there who did not work for the garrison.

After the meeting, Jenni and Shannon and I walked around the block that the club was on. When we got back around, Jenni headed home. Shannon and I talked for bit while our husbands were talking. Then we split up and went home.

It was after 8. I finished writing my blog post, then made tea. We watched two episodes of Andromeda, pausing briefly to answer Jamie's call. Then Chris went to bed. I stayed up to read e-mail.

 

Another house finished

Monday

I had a hard time falling asleep. I got up and took some activated charcoal, wondering if something in the salad was hard to digest. Then I went to sleep.

Reveille woke me up, but I dozed off again and got up about 7:30. I washed up and got dressed. I took the first supplements. I watered the inside plants and then the outside ones. I watered dry spots in the grass and a new gopher mound. The water flushed out a skull. Nice. I watered the flower box and put white cleaning cloths around the plants to keep the soil moist and cool. It's been over 100 degrees.

I came in for a drink. I jotted notes for my blog while waiting for the router to sort itself. Then I checked e-mail and Facebook for messages.

I got a call asking us to turn over Tim's house today. So I went over there and spent 1.5 hours cleaning. I loaded up all our cleaning stuff, closed the house and went to Housing to schedule an appt for inspection.

Then I went home for lunch. i got a call from Jamie who had gone over to do the bathroom floors. I went over there to console her. Then we finished the floors just as the inspectors came. They looked around and I pointed out various problems. I signed the papers, and scraped off the red tape on the back doors. Jamie and I did the side garage door with Goo Gone. I went to Housing to return Tim's keys and get one for Heather's place.

I went home to figure out how much money to give Jamie. It got complicated with advance cash and having only 20's in the envelop. I met her at a house for a quote. I looked around in the kitchen mostly, then we went outside to discuss it. I gave her a share of the cash from Tim's house.

I went home for water, then went to Heather's house to assess. It was a mess. I swept the first floor and picked up trash. I turned on the self-clean cycle and started cleaning cupboards. Then I went to Shelby's house to assess. It was dirtier than I thought it would be for someone who cleaned and failed inspection twice. I put the gas burner grills inside the oven and started her self-clean cycle as well.

I went back to Heather's and cleaned a bit more, then got a box and selected foods from the fridge and freezer that we would eat. I took the box home immediately and put the food in my fridge. I started making a salad for supper. Chris came home from work, having gone directly there at the end of his trip. He made supper from the new foods.

He started unpacking my new dock when Michele and John called. They were trying to set up a LAN to game with each other. He told them what he could, and then they discussed other things. I finished eating and read e-mail. Then Chris finished connecting the dock. I worked on my blog, made tea, and we watched Andromeda.

We went to bed and only in the middle of the night did I get up to turn off the router.

 

Introduction to Revelations

Sunday

I got up around 7. I went out to the kitchen and discovered that the floor was wet. I got towels to soak it up. The ice was melting from the freezer. So I moved the food to the deep freezer in the garage. Then I whipped up a batch of cheese squares. I read e-mail while they baked. Just before the timer rang, the power went out.

I shut down my laptop. I got dressed and went outside to water the plants. There were new gopher mounds and I watered them too, but no gophers came out. I planted one of the tomato plants in the new planter box. Then I got out the wheel barrow and filled it with all the tumbleweed that suddenly showed up. They must have been from far away, because only the main stems and branches were left. I put two barrow loads in the dumpster next door. I am glad they didn't put the dumpster in my yard.

I sat outside and read for awhile, then went inside to read. It was dim inside because I had the shades drawn to keep out the heat while the power is out. I started to take a nap when the power came back on with a jolt.

I pulled the cheese squares from the oven and trimmed off the crispy edges for myself. When it became clear that I was going to fill up on cheese, I made breakfast and ate that while reading e-mail. Then I got dressed for church.

I went to church with cheese squares, a trombone and a clarinet. I said hi to Charles, and went up front to unpack my trombone. I gave the clarinet to Jenni. A young lady sat in the second row and we chatted for a bit. Shawn came over to say hi. Other people joined the conversation, including the pastor when he arrived.

Then we took our seats and Pastor Chris began to preach about Revelations. I meant to take notes, and brought a clipboard, but apparently the pen in my purse disappeared. I took a pic of the slide on the overhead. He said the book was divided into what was, what is, and what will come. He gave us a reading assignment of the beginning and the end of the book.

Afterward, Saronna came up and we played three hymns. Then we chatted and had snack. The young lady went up and played the piano. I talked to Saronna and John. Anyway, we all walked out, leaving the piano player on her own. But the doors would lock behind her when she left.

I went home and washed dishes. Chris called and told me to call Base Maintenance about the fridge. So I did. Not much longer, I got a call saying someone was coming over. And then a man came. He looked inside the fridge and the freezer, which was now cold and making ice. Sigh. I guess the power going off and on again kicked the compressor back on.

After he left, I went back to reading e-mail. Then Diane called to talk and catch up. I read Telegram messages, then ate some pickled eggs and made a salad from things growing outside. I worked on my blog and got ready for another game night.

I went over to Michelle's house. Her cat was glad to see me. Using the cheat book, I was able to navigate to several other worlds and back again. Except for the rocket world. That's where I was when the clock struck 11. I shut down the game, the keyboard, the mouse and the TV. I put everything back the way it was, and went home.  It was like my brain was in another world.  I did my best to hang onto the feeling as I got ready for bed.

 

The nobody nine-patch

Saturday

I got up soon after 7. I got dressed and brushed my teeth. I read e-mail until 8, when the power went out. Then I went out to water the plants. I washed some gopher mounds down the holes. A gopher came up and got hit. I transplanted some seedlings. I worked on the shady side of the house. I opened the package from yesterday, It was a dock. No instructions, just diagrams. Then I put on my bathing suit and laid out on the back porch.

At noon the electricity came on and I took a shower. I made breakfast and ate it while reading e-mail. I listened to part of The Covid Origin Story. Then I made a nine-patch sample block and collected my sewing stuff and went to the chapel.

Since Chris wasn't around to help me carry stuff, I backed my car down the chapel sidewalk. I carried the stuff into the narthex, then went to the company house to get the sheets in the wash. I went back to the chapel to carry the stuff to the fellowship hall. There I discovered that someone had taken most of the tables. I put up two machines. I called Chris ask if he knew about the tables. He said no. Jenni showed up and she didn't know either. We sat down and talked for almost two hours. No one showed up and she didn't want to make the block.

It was almost 4 when we locked up and left. I went home to get cleaners, then back to the company house to put the towels in the wash and to clean the house. I went home to have a bite to eat and finish The Covid Origin Story.

When the towels were done, I went back to the company house to dress the beds and mop the floors.

I got dressed for the pool. Once there, I swam short laps until Jenni arrived, then swam circles around her while we talked. At the end, I talked to Melissa about her gutters. The guy did clean them, but not very well. I talked to Quinsanna as we dried off and walked out into the parking lot. I went to the company house to finish sweeping, but only mopped half of the house because it was getting dark. Then I went to the garden to check on the irrigation system. I watered the strawberries in Lot 18.

When I got home, I changed into dry clothes. I jotted notes for my blog and got ready for another game night. When I got there, there was a package in the mail slot. It looked like a book and Michelle told me to open it. So I did. It was about Myst. I filled the water container and played with the cat. Then I started up the game and used the book to navigate.

At 11, I shut it down, said goodbye to the cat, and went home. I disconnected the router and went to bed, observing all the usual rituals.

 

A visit to the dentist

Friday

I got up before 8. Chris was already up. I brushed and swished, then got dressed to go out and water the plants. I forgot to water the indoor plants. Then I made a grocery list while Chris took a shower. He packed the cooler and we went to Tooele.

On the way, we stopped at Walgreens for aspirin and caffeine. Then we went to the dentist. While Chris checked in for his appointment, I walked to Melanies and shopped. We had a nice conversation and then I went to Cal Ranch and got two tomato plants.

When I got back to the dentist office, I waited for my appointment. When Chris checked out, I gave him the plants and my book. Then I got taken back for my cleaning and exam. No problems.  I scheduled the next 6-month appt, but Chris has to go back sooner.

When I was done, Chris had completed the grocery shopping so we went back to base. We went straight home and unloaded the foods. I watered the tiny plants again. I made breakfast while Chris packed for his trip. He kissed me and left.

After eating and listening to something on the history of current events, I peeled the hardboiled eggs and put them in pickling juice. I put the already pickled eggs in a smaller jar.

I went to the post office to pick up the mail. I went to the commissary for a few things. I found a package on the porch. Then I went to Tim's house to clean. Tonja came over to get the last of the swap shop stuff. I went to help her unload. When I got back, Jamie was there. We discussed how to clean the last parts of the house. She cut some spilled nail polish out of the carpet. Then she had to go. I finished off the kitchen. I cleaned a closet and the laundry room.

Then I went to the garden. One of the drip lines had come off the main line. I don't know when that happened, but the garden hasn't been properly watered since. I repaired the line and watered by hose.

When I got home, I made supper and ate it while listening to the next part of the End Of Covid. I jotted notes for today and published for yesterday. Then I went to Michelle's house to check on the cat and make sure their gaming system still worked. I played Myst for several hours, then bid the cat a good night and went home to bed.

**  I couldn't resist this kid with chocolate frosting all over his face.  **

 

Change of Command ceremony

Thursday

I woke up hearing Reveille. Later Chris came in to take his shower and we discussed the Change-of-command ceremony. He left. I got up to brush, etc. I went outside to water the plants and saw a guy come to clean the gutters. We spoke briefly. He got to work and I continued to water. I especially watered the plants in the new planter. They dry out so quickly. Then I worked on my blog.

Chris came home before 8:30 to get me. So I quit the blog and went to get dressed. He drove me to his office. As we walked through the building, we waved to people. Then at the main entrance, He introduced me to people from Hill Air Force Base.

Finally we headed to the throngs and chatted some more. We found our assigned seating. I said hello to Tonja, then took my seat. The ceremony began precisely at 9. The colors were presented. The Dugway flag was passed around. Then the speeches began. During one, there was a low fly-over of 3 planes. A general spoke, then both incoming and outgoing colonels spoke. Then the colors were retired.

And then it was over, so the MC said. Jenni came up to say hi, so I took her over to the colonels' wives and introduced her, also to the incoming CSM's wife. Then Chris said we had to attend the reception. (Here I thought I was going home) So we WALKED over to the community club. Thankfully Chris brought me a glass of water. He introduced me to more people, mostly men. We stood in line to greet the new colonel, although they met us already. They invited us to dinner next Friday night. I invited them to draw on my wall. (he mentioned in his speech that they were welcomed by a drawing on their chalk wall).

Then we went to the food table and put veggies and fruit and cheese on plates. We ate in the other room with Jenni. Chris left to schmooze. Jamie came over to chat. She gave me a key to a new place to clean. I introduced her to CSM's wife and the new colonel's wife. Jamie left and soon the colonel and his family left, too. MWR was cleaning up the food so I asked if they were just going to throw it away. She said she had to ask. So I gave her my number and said to call.

Chris and I walked back to Headquarters and his car. We picked up some brick flowerbed liners. He drove me home. I changed clothes. I put on the Highwire. He went back to work. MWR came by with the food. I took it to Saronna, along with a bag of fruit tree fertilizer. We chatted about that and his surgery.

I went home and finished The Highwire. CJ came by with two dozen eggs. I whipped up a batch of seed crackers. I froze several sets of three eggs. I hardboiled some of the older ones. The shells were very thin and some cracked when I washed them.

I jotted notes for my blog. I added a pic to yesterday's blog post. I put the seed crackers in a container and went to the party at the pavillion. I put the container on a table and walked to the swap shop. Tonja had asked me to stop by. We chatted for some time. Then I went back to the party. Chris was there, sitting with a table of women and telling his stories. I sat and talked to Saronna and Jenni. While others ate a variety of stuff, I pretty much stuck to the watermelon.

Around 8, I texted Chris that I was ready to leave. But he didn't notice, so I had to walk over and be less subtle. We left, forgetting to say goodbye to Heather who is leaving. When we got home, I made tea and drained the eggs. We watched two episodes of Andromeda. Chris went to bed and I stayed up to post to my blog. Then I put the eggs away and made up a week of supplement. Then I listened to some audio and paused to to go to bed.

 

Meeting the new couple

Wednesday

I got up around 7:30 to start the day. I felt well-rested but remembered tossing and turning. I got coffee started and took the first dose of MMS. I got dressed so I could water the outdoor plants. I blended up some banana peels as fertilizer. Then I watered the indoor plants.

I threw towels in the wash, along with a small blanket. I proceeded with exercises and brushing. I meditated and tapped. I cleaned the bathrooms and washed dishes in the kitchen. I had to set the clocks because we apparently lost power for 20 minutes. After cleaning the kitchen, I started vacuuming. When I put the towels in the dryer, I cleaned out the bleach port on the washing machine. I am not sure how it is supposed to work, but anything I put in there just stays in there and gets yucky over time. 

 I finished vacuuming. I tried to use the desktop computer to check e-mail, but it said Firefox was not responding. And yet, when I checked Task Manager, Firefox was using memory and CPU cycles. So it was doing something. I had to shut down about 4 iterations of firefox.exe before they all shut down.

I had to reboot the desktop computer and it wanted to update. So I jotted notes for my blog, then went back to use it. I deleted a bunch of e-mail. Then at 3:30 I went to the gym to meet the ladies. I chatted with Tom until I got tired of waiting. Then I went to the first weight room to use three machines. But after the first round, someone took over one of the machines. So after my shortened second and third round, I went to the second weight room to do two circuits there.

Just as I got to my car, Jenni drove up. She said she had fallen asleep but she still wanted to walk. So we went to the upper track and walked while she told me about her trip. Then we split and went home. I stopped at the post office for some packages. I watered the transplants again, hoping it wasn't too late. They dried out from this morning. I opened the package to find raw cacao nibs that I forgot I ordered.

I texted Tonja and she said she'd had company. Michelle texted in about meeting Jenni's cousin. I turned on the router and jotted more notes. I opened a coconut and drank the juice. I went to Tim's house for an hour and 20 minutes. I could have stayed longer, but I heard a weird ssss sound.

When I got home, I noticed a text from Chris inviting me to come to the community club to say goodbye to Jordan and to meet the new CSM and his wife. So I changed my shoes and drove over there. I sat with Chris and the new couple. Although he is going to live here, she is taking the sons and moving to a less remote location for schooling and extra curricular activities.

It was after 9:30 when we left. There was not time for Andromeda. We each retired to our computers for a bit. Then he went to bed and I stayed up to listen to short clips from Telegram.