Thursday, June 22, 2023

We are almost to the end of June and we fly home in 2 days. How does time pass so fast?

I am looking forward to seeing Justice. Yesterday DS brought him to the woman's home who watched him once a week while we were on our last trip. She sent videos of him sniffing around the yard with the other pups and rolling in the grass. He does like it there as he gets to run around and spend a lot more outdoor time than when he is with DS.

This morning we are snorkeling for our last time at an area where the sea turtles often swim. The first time I really enjoyed snorkeling was chasing around a turtle.

Tonight is dinner out with two other couples at one of the best restaurants here. Early dinner as I didn't make the reservation far enough in advance. It is getting more and more difficult to get a reservation there even this time of year (considered low-season).

Time to suit up, lotion up and pack the gear. Have a thrilling Thursday!

Another hot sunny day. First task today, water my flowers. I'm chipping away at things that need to be done before I leave, but at a much more leisurely pace than allowed during the school year.

The Tribe is on the move, Liz heading home, Peps to Oregon, CC to Michigan...

I found another scorpion! This one was big. Blech! My "kills on contact" scorpion spray did NO. SUCH. THING. I had to step on it and his tail was still moving, so I stepped on it again. Traumatizing (for both of us I imagine). I had thought that maybe the screen doors were closed enough at night, but they must still let in scorpions that can get into spaces as thin as a credit card. My house is mostly sliders and big glass windows that don't open. So the a/c it must be this time of year. The worst part is Bark Scorpions are the same color as my floors.

I talked (listened) to the very chatty contractor yesterday and they are starting demo on Tuesday. The designer is coming up Wednesday to go over fabrics and furniture again and make some decisions. I decided on driving to MI. Exact day TBD, but something that doesn't leave me driving through Chicago to MI on the Friday before the Fourth with the hordes heading north for a long holiday weekend. Sat or Sun would be "better". Flying just felt so overwhelming/stressful. Somehow more overwhelming/stressful than driving 2000 miles.

Today I am going to get my car serviced in Flagstaff. But that's all I have on the books. Ooh, and a project to fix my fancy shower controller (no knobs to turn on the shower, it's a touchscreen). To access the module to get the previous owner's presets off the screen and add mine, you need to hook a computer up to it in an outdoor utility closet as well as directly into the router. This involves a 150 ft ethernet cable that came week... I haven't started yet because having all the right equipment means there is still hope that I can get it to work the way I want. Starting means I will either get it to work or I will be back at square one. So I'm basking in the hope right now. It's Schroedinger's Shower. Like Schroedinger's Cat in the box, the shower is both working and not working until I open the box.

Speaking of showers, I should probably go get mine done. Have a great day!

Good luck reprogramming your shower! Sometimes simple is better but I shouldn't talk as I love technology. I had removed my Wi-Fi programmable thermostat from the home we are selling and put the old one back on. I tried installing it twice at the new place until I finally determined that it wouldn't work on our system. So I already bought a new type to install next time we are there.

I can't imagine driving 2000 miles especially alone! 1500 to Florida is too long for me. But perhaps a puppy is on your future and might make the return trip in the fall?

Certain items should and must be simple! Coffee makers are in that category for me. I have been done with the programable makers for a number of years. I bought a Dutch made super high end coffee maker in 2016 after my trip to Boston. It has an on/off switch. That's it. Nothing programable. It is the best coffee maker I have ever had and it has outlasted both of my previous programable and somewhat pricey coffee makers. I'm also not real big on "home tech". Simple and functional is how I roll! I love my phone and my laptop and the tech in my Subaru. But that's about it!

I love the programmable thermostats because I can check/change the temperature when not home or still in bed from my phone. I program them to drop the temperature at night and raise it in the morning automatically. But I have to admit that a simple coffee maker AND shower would be my preference (especially when going through the motions in the morning).

I agree. What's wrong with faucets? The Kohler shower thing is too fancy. And it has nozzles that shoot at your body aside from the shower head. I hate them. Especially the one that hits back of mid thigh. It's oddly unpleasant. So I have to manually turn it off every time. Hoping my update will fix that too!

I still have a top loading washing machine with a dial! It is 36 years old!!! When the nicer front loaders came out with all the gizmos, we couldn't afford one. Now that we can, we can't let this old beast go, we need to see how many more years it will last.

I had a washer and dryer which were at least 30 years old in my former Florida home (the former owner bought them used in 2000). They washed and dried way better than any of the modern ones!

I kind of enjoy the freedom a road trip offers. DH is no longer a fan. Maybe because he does most of the driving.