Preparation and the final countdown

First off, the Wednesday photo was a shot of the city crew in the process of replacing the sidewalk across the street. There are 5 workers (one behind the two standing), two with shovels, the hidden one cutting up the sidewalk to the condo, and the two guys standing there. I assume one of the standing guys was the driver of the truck...the other a supervisor?

It was a busy week leading up to today. I like to think I'm prepared for travelling, but there are other things that needed to be done before I leave the house this afternoon. 

We had cool weather through the weekend and into Monday, but it did warm up enough on Sunday afternoon enough for my son to clean out the eavestroughs on the house. As he pulled out the gunk, he dropped it below onto the front deck and the back patio. I followed along behind with a broom and dust pan and garbage bag. Most of the accumulation was at the ends of the eavestrough, especially at the downspout. In fact, he asked for his toilet auger to clear the downspouts! I'm thinking it has been awhile since the job was done. I brought the hose and he ran water through each eavestrough so we could confirm the water was flowing well. (And yes, I'm aware he bought this place last November and this is the first time he's cleaned the gutters.)

Seemingly overnight., the trees across the street have turned yellow

On Thursday I picked up a few grocery items for my son, and for the cat too. We were running low on wet cat food, and I bought eggs, some sandwich meat, and a loaf of bread for C. Breakfast for dinner is something C will make for himself, as well as grilled sandwiches. He actually is quite adept at cooking, but tends to do that when he has more time. I remember the days of coming home from work and being tired and not wanting to cook a big meal.

I also got the weeding finished in the backyard! With the rain we received, the ground was easier to turn with the pitchfork. It was tiring work, even so, and I'm glad to have it done for a couple of weeks. I'm certain some will come back though the area I'd finished early in the month has stayed mostly clear, just a few weeds that needed to be removed. The hard part are the tree roots - those suckers go far and deep. I've run into a couple that will require me to dig down as far as I can and then use an axe to remove as much of the stump as possible. That will be left until I return from my trip.

That pile of brick and blocks by the wall were dug up as I cleared the weeds. You'll note I never posted a before picture...take my word for it was bad. The soil in pretty much the entire backyard was dug up and turned over.

The other big news this week is the neighbour next door with the big dogs is planning to build a fence this weekend. He came over to talk to C, one evening, and discussed his plans. Those plans changed slightly but he let us know, and I'm looking forward to knowing the two dogs are contained. They are large dogs, and clearly not well trained. The couple bring them out on leashes, but if I happen to be in the back they lunge towards me, and the wife, especially, doesn't seem to have great control. She manages, but I suspect the dogs could get away from her if they really wanted to. We had planned to put up a fence anyway but were waiting until next spring. Now, it should be complete by the end of the weekend. Fingers crossed, though I won't be here to see it.

Packing is done, with the last few items tossed in the bag this morning. That includes the phone charger because, if you were with me last March, it caused some issues when I forgot mine at home. Amazon did come through, but barely. I was asked in an early post about concerns of Covid on the ship. It's a possibility, as it is on an airplane, in a mall, at a concert, or anywhere that people congregate in large groups. I prepare as best I can, wearing an N95 mask on my flights, washing my hands frequently, and avoiding touching my face. I take cold/flu meds with me just in case as well as a couple of testing kits. The bigger issue on many ships is Norovirus which spreads due to improper washing of one's hands (or lack thereof), transfer through shared use of serving utensils in the buffet, and door handles and stairwell banisters. It frustrates me to see people enter the buffet and bypass both the sinks and hand sanitizers that are provided. While I do use the buffet, I tend to take my meal outside the open air tables, even on cooler mornings, and I only rarely take an elevator to avoid the hordes who fill them. Better, that I use the stairs and the reason that I book a cabin on a floor about midway between the upper and lower decks. Hey, I don't want to climb eight to ten flights of stairs unless I absolutely have to! I've been cruising since 2011 and I've yet to contract any illness, knock wood. There is a medical facility onboard too, that I hope never to use.

My son is dropping me off at the airport this afternoon for my first flight to Calgary. I have almost 3 hours layover there before the flight to Seattle. Without delays I should be at my hotel by 9:30 p.m. local time. I've pre-arranged transportation to the port from the pier, and should be picked up about 8:45 a.m. the next morning. I've been warned that traffic is quite congested due to the time of day, as well as on-going construction. Boarding won't start until 10:30 or 11:00 a.m. - I might be a bit early, or maybe I'll be just on time. :) A few of us on the FB group have arranged to meet in one of the main dining rooms for lunch. It will be nice to meet some fellow passengers, at least two that are also sailing solo. Plus it ensures we avoid that darned buffet that is absolute zoo on the first day. 

Assuming I'll be able to access free WiFi at the various ports, I may post a few phone photos. Regular posts will begin again in a couple of weeks. 

Take care everyone!