Summer Travel Map

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Catching up between the raindrops

January 27, 2008
Peoria, AZ

We’re well into a real soaking rain storm as I write this, but more on that later. The last couple of days have been busy, as usual. When I got back from the Land Rover dealer on Friday, we made a quick run to the coach to drop off stuff (clean bedding and towels) and pick up a few things we forgot to unload. We had Skillet Lasagna for dinner, using up ingredients we’d bought while on the road but didn’t get a chance to use.

Saturday started out slowly. We slept in for a change, which was nice. After coffee, we went across the street to help Clisby with her new – and first, at age 82 – computer. We got her set up and connected to the Internet, and pointed her in the direction of some books and classes.

Since the forecast was for rain, I decided that I could run the cable I needed for the second DirecTV HD receiver in the kitchen. I’d bought it on eBay last week, so we were ready to go. I tapped into the spare wires coming from the LNB/Multi-Switch, fixing a bad connection to the original DVR while I had the ladder out. I was able to run the cable up under the eaves and along the side of the house to the attic over the garage. Due to the layers of insulation above the house proper, the attic over the garage is the only accessible place to work. Fortunately, the kitchen TV is positioned along the rear of the garage, so it’s easy to get to. Once I had the cable run inside, I knew I could finish the job today, irrespective of the weather.

For dinner, we quickly did up the last of the Omaha Steaks burgers we’d gotten as a Christmas gift. We used up the few odd rolls we had hanging around and finished off a jar of roasted red peppers and some value wine, so it was a “what do we have around” kind of meal.

Last night’s forecast called for up to 1.5” of rain in this storm, which is a lot for this area. It’s nothing like Southern California is experiencing, of course, but I’m sure we’ll see a few cars washed away by high water on the 10:00 news. I was able to finish wiring in the satellite cable, mounted a shelf in the pantry for the receiver, placed a new over-the-air antenna in the attic for local HD channels, and split the signal off for the TV in the spare bedroom. Everything has been tested out and the wires have been buttoned up to finish off the installation.

Tonight, Geri made Asian Chicken Soup and Pork Wontons. She’d gotten the recipe from our friend Eva, and this was her first time “solo”. Well, she learned well, and it was fantastic. As usual, we’ll have enough for a second meal. This is especially important this week, since Geri’s scheduled to get that troublesome tooth extracted at 8:00 AM on Tuesday. She’ll be on soft foods for a while, we suspect. The whole week is shaping up to be busy since, in addition to the dental work on Tuesday, Geri has PT (Physical Therapy) on Monday and Friday, and I have to take the Range Rover in to have the coolant leak fixed on Wednesday. At least the weather is supposed to clear up by tomorrow afternoon.

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