I started early this Thursday morning, as I had a plumber coming. I had to write the blog, pack, shower, and dress. I started just after 6:30, trying to understand why I was starting so early, and then I remembered the list of items I needed to complete that day. I hopped out of bed, jumped in and out of the shower, shaved, and so on, and soon was swilling coffee and writing. I managed to finish before the plumber showed up. I reserved a pitcher of water and heated water in an electric pot for Corwin.
Earlier, I had completed my packing by sitting on the new suitcase. I got a suit, two pairs of pants, lots of shirts, underwear, socks, and dress shoes. The zipper is amazing. It actually closed and stayed that way!
The plumber arrived between 9 and 11, but I was told it was 8 to 9, so I called and learned he would soon be at the Volvo Cave. Ryan was soon cutting the walls and discovering that everything was easy–excellent. The water was turned off at the house with no drama (always a fear for me), and soon, the work started.
A new box was installed to connect hoses and drains; now code. The process was interesting as the house is copper, but everything is now plastic, which Ryan, the plumber, explained is easier, resists freezing better, does not break when frozen, and is what they use now. It was interesting to watch him install some of the new pipes and connect them to the existing copper. Ryan also fixed the drain in the bathtub with a snake. Likely junk in there from the 1970s and on. All working now.
There is a hole in the wall to patch, but the connection on the old pipes was corroding and failing—I was lucky. I was told the new stuff would outlast the copper. Excellent. It was all done by 1 p.m. and paid for, just a little under a nice round trip to Paris. I hate houses some days.
I received a box from the Women’s Bean Project. I ordered some kits for soup, chili, and cornbread from them. I recommend them to you; they help folks. I reused the box to send a gift that I got on the coast for Linda, my sister, and Jesse (my new husband). I took it the resealed and address box to the US Post Office and mailed it.
I made my favorite sandwich for lunch: roast beef thinly sliced, cheddar slice, coleslaw, and Thousand Island dressing on the bread. It is a bit heavy without the coleslaw. It quickly disappeared as I was hungry, having skipped breakfast—except for some madeleines I bought yesterday.
I was done and ready, but early still. F**k it. I left just after 2PM. Traffic was heavy and slow. It was 90 minutes to PDX. I parked, as I had plenty of time, in the Red Economy lot and then bused into the terminal. It took a moment to spot the British Airways desk as it has a color scheme that is close to United. Soon, I was headed to security. With no issues, I made it through security. Everything stayed on and was, while some reassembly was needed, restored.
I have a new wardrobe issue. My underwear seems too large and falls down inside my pants. I was happy my pants remained on for the scan in security! I may order a smaller size to be delivered to the house and leave most of the too-large behind. Crazy weight loss issues!
I found the Deschutes Brewery near my gate. I had hummus for dinner, a Black Butte Porter, and then coffee there. I was falling asleep. I talked to a gal headed to Amsterdam to get a free meal as her flight was seven hours delayed. I have done that one before. She was replaced by a couple taking the same flight I then connecting to Italy. They were fun to sit with. We might meet in the UK–we’ll see.
Well, almost time to board.
Thanks for reading. Sorry have to publish without some typos.
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 