Day 6

I have had a peaceful and productive week at the little house in the city.

Yesterday was rainy and quite dreary. I missed working in the yard. A visit to Terra kept the day bright and cheerful. I returned home to fix my supper and relax, watching a movie. I think we may have already seen all the movies we like, that are available in Canada on Netflix. No matter, I watched a movie we did like, for the second time, and still liked it.

This morning my project has been to determine if I could successfully wash my hair without using the shower. I turned power on for the hot water heater at about 8 a.m., and then puttered about for a few hours, waiting for the water to heat. It is Saturday, so the hydro rate is at its least expensive. I have been managing without hot water quite nicely all week, boiling what I needed, for dishes and washing, in the electric kettle. A shower at Terra’s place earlier in the week has done me until today. While waiting for the water to heat, I had a breakfast of campari tomato on rye sandwiches, with a glass of orange juice. I bopped around a bit on the internet and tidied up in the kitchen.

I settled on trying to wash my hair kneeling in the bathtub, with my head under the tub tap. I carefully cleaned the tub, and put temporary “curtain” over the window just above the tub. The curtain consists of a white plastic garbage bag, held in place with duct tape. It is rather nice, as it is bright and lets the light through. It is not a designer solution, but then I never wanted to live on a glossy magazine page. Then I gathered my shampoo and conditioner and attempted to wash my hair. It worked well. It is not as comfortable as a shower, and my knees were a little sore by the end of the process, but I am clean and happy.

This means that we can remove the tile board and drywall around the tub, and get busy replacing the plumbing and the fixtures. I will not need to use the shower to keep clean. Good information to have established, as we are planning the renovation of the bathroom.

In my absence Attila has been working 12 and 13 hour days. He has not made much headway on his domestic projects, which makes perfect sense, since he is at work almost all the time. He will get some of his projects under way later today, as he only works till 2 pm on Saturdays. Tomorrow he will have a whole day to himself, to work on the things he would like to get accomplished.

I will return to the country house next week, and then be back again at the little house in the city next weekend, so Attila can cut the lawn again and have some time to work out project priorities. I have some work scheduled for the next few weeks, a few hours here and a few hours there. Then who knows! I don’t have any scheduled work again until the end of August.

A trip into the town centre allowed me to pick up all the things that Attila asked for on his shopping list. Returning home I changed into my work clothes and began to clean the garage. It, and the basement, have been our work centres throughout the renovation. What chaos! I began by raking up the leaves that blew in under the door over the last three years. They are now in the compost heap. I also managed to collect a bit of garbage, such as plastic plant trays and the like. I worked up quite a sweat, but it felt good to see parts of the concrete floor. There is still much to do.

I am finishing off this entry sitting on the back porch, with a glass of cold water in hand. Detecting a slight movement in the grass, out of the corner of my left eye, I looked over to see a baby rabbit hopping along the side of the shed. She sits there still, munching happily on some luscious greenery, totally unaware of my presence. I hope she watches out for the ginger cat that moseyed by the porch an hour or so ago!

Across the yard, through the trees and the heavy moist air, drifts the voice of a woman singing. I know it isn’t a recording, because of the pauses, testing of musical phrases, and quality of the sound. She has a lovely voice, the sound carries a haunting quality. Joy.

Worldly Distractions

Weather

14°C
Date: 9:00 AM EDT Saturday 8 June 2013
Condition: Cloudy
Pressure: 101.4 kPa
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: 13.8°C
Dewpoint: 10.3°C
Humidity: 79%
Wind: N 5 km/h

Quote

“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is stoned to death.”
Joan D. Vinge

“Charity sees the need not the cause.”
German Proverb
[I couldn’t resist this quote, it explains succinctly why charity is the choice of those who would maintain the status quo of their own affluence. Charity offers little dignity and no hope.]

Note

“Joan D. Vinge, born 2 April 1948 in Baltimore, Maryland as Joan Carol Dennison) is an American science fiction author. She is known for such works as her Hugo Award-winning novel The Snow Queen and its sequels, her series about the telepath named Cat, and her Heaven’s Chronicles books.”
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_D._Vinge