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The dog I was looking after. Lily
The dog that kept following me on my hike to the Enderby Cliffs. Tyson. The owner kept calling him but he wouldn't go home.
The neighbour dog Diesel who I call the juvenile delinquent. He was who led Lily astray up into the snow covered hills. He is the one who came to visit me today.

Life has a way of constantly evolving...and then throwing us sideways.

My retirement from the workplace has been going ok. I enjoyed the winter months at Shuswap Lake. I am one of those weird people that actually likes snow.
I spent considerable time shoveling snow to keep the driveway clear. If I got to the task soon after the snow fell, it was easy enough. The snow in the Shuswap region is lightweight and fluffy.
However...if the neighbour got to it with his quad and bucket before I could, it got difficult to clear the driveway. It got compacted and icy. So, if I heard him start up his quad, I'd go outside and get some done while he was taking care of his own driveway and yard.
I am not uploading pictures this time because of the new format of the site. It will only take very small files and it would mean going and re-sizing and re-naming every image I want to share.
You can picture in your mind 4 inches of snow daily. Then 8 inches of snow overnight. Then 4 inches. Then 12 inches in a day.
Anyway...my plan was that once I was finished house sitting at Shuswap Lake I was to go to Merritt, BC. Two hours south of Shuswap and only 3 hours north of Vancouver. I have a friend there who asked me to go be a room mate. I said I would try.
Well...developments happened that weren't in the picture when I agreed.

My friend who has the house in Merritt goes away every winter. While away he messaged me to tell me that some long time friends of his had sold their house near Vancouver and were moving to Merritt. They were going to stay at his house until they found a new house. So, on February 28 I drove to Merritt to meet them, give them keys and show them around the house.
BIG problem for me...the husband of the couple smokes. The son and D-I-L who came to help them also smoke. Even though they smoke on the back deck, it drifts in. I stayed overnight because they had arrived so darn late. It would have been foolhardy for me to drive back to Shuswap in the dark with the icy roads.
In the morning I helped them unload their truck and then left.
Fast forward to two weeks ago. I arrive in Merritt with anticipation of building a garden, joining the local photography club and getting a new library card. I knew the couple were still there but thought I could handle it.
They weren't moving out until July 1. That was 2-1/2 months away.
The day after I arrived I got work in the garden patch just below the deck. Well...that's where the guy smokes...a lot...frequently..and of course he decided to come chit chat. .That ended my gardening.
I set up a table and chairs outside away from the deck and down on the ground...well..he started going to smoke outside the basement door. I went to my room.

I am seriously allergic to smoke. I developed a terrible cough after only a few days at the house. I was short of breath and could hear wheezing in my chest. I started taking my afternoon tea to the front porch because nobody was out there.

The other thing I hadn't counted on was the influence of his friend. His friend also smokes dope. So, my friend also was smoking dope outside the basement door..OMG that stuff reeks. I don't use drugs. Never have. I don't care if someone else wants to use...but not around me...my friend wasn't using at the time I agreed to come to Merritt. To top it off...his friend is a very heavy user of alcohol. My friend started drinking too...he was getting shitfaced...which meant he was loud, obnoxious and rude.
And speaking of rude....he had developed a habit of belching and farting....loudly and often...Whatever happened to dignity and good manners?
In the 8 nights I was there I managed only one night of decent sleep.

I was sliding into an anxiety attack and back into depression before I gave myself a swift kick in the butt. I secured a storage locker and moved all my belongings to the storage locker. That way once I decide what my next move is, it will be easy to get it without any discomfort.
Fortunately I had a commitment for a few weeks that got me out of there. I am currently in the lower mainland (Vancouver area) house sitting for three weeks. Then I will go visit my mother. She actually has admitted for the first time ever...that she needs some help. I'll spend a week helping get the house and yard spruced up and then I'll go to Vancouver Island to visit my long time friend for a week. She and her hubby bought a new house and she is excited to show me.
I was feeling somewhat shell shocked by the turn of events in Merritt, but I'm starting to think and work on what's next.

The 2 men at the house are 67 years old. It's like my friend regressed to being an adolescent.
They will never read this because neither of them have ever been involved in motorcycles and one of them does not go on a computer...ever...and my friend can barely manage Facebook.


I'll see what other house sitting arrangement I can find...otherwise...ROAD TRIP.

I'm glad you are out of there. I understand.
That is one of my problem allergies too.

Sending hugs your way, girl.

Thanks pchast and gummiente. I'm working on "what next"....just can't make up my mind right now. I have a stupid cold and it makes my thinking foggy.

The saga of my truck also continues.....I took my truck to the dealer where they were supposed to install new wheels and tires at cost and no charge installation. They needed to redeem themselves. In a show of good faith, I left the winter wheels and tires in their storage.

As I was driving over the bridge the onboard computer told me to check the tire pressure system. OK..I pressed a few buttons to look at the readings...nothing...nada..zip...
So...as I got to the other end of the bridge I saw another big dealer of the same brand and went in there to inquire. They also happen to have an express lane for oil changes...for which the truck was due but the other dealer who did the tires didn't have time to do. Yes, that is a terrible sentence.
So...they did the LOF and checked the tire pressure. They said the tire pressure was out a bit...but also...the sensors from the 2017 wheels they put on my 2013 truck don't work.
Sigh.....
I sent yet another message to the other dealer....
Me...I know you think I am a whiner....but why-oh-why-oh why can't things get done right? Why wasn't this checked before they gave me back my truck?
Salesguy- I will look into it. Sorry.
Me...Thank you
Salesguy phoned...they are ordering the correct sensors and installing...no charge to me. The dealer will cover the cost. Salesguy went to manager and got it approved...cuz salesguy knows the company has screwed up.
Me...thank you.

It should be noted that the salesguy is not responsible. He has responded to my messages because the manager could not be bothered. The salesguy is going above and beyond to help me. IMO the manager and the service department have fallen short of normal expectations.

Tomorrow the salesguy will receive a case of Budweiser from me as my thank you. (I phoned and asked the reception to find out what the salesguy liked)

I honestly don't like having to keep bug them...but how else will it get done?

Its the only way. Keep the pressure on.
Nice reward for your advocate.

I got to the dealership today at the appointed time. They told me 1-1/2 to 2 hours. I finally got my truck back 3-1/2 hours later. Apparently it had been ready but the service person had gone for lunch...sheesh...she couldn't have told someone to call me....I was sitting in their customer lounge in eye sight of the desk.

To top things off...when I got there this morning, I went to where the good salesguy would normally be. Of course the others around thought I was bringing them the beer. I said, unless your name is Bill Jones and you're "this tall"...not for you. They told me Bill retired. At first I thought he was joking...nope. He said it was quite sudden. I guess so...he was there yesterday but not today.
His friend and co-worker was there and said he would make sure Bill got it. I wrote a note of thanks and stuffed it into the box of beer.
The only time the manager has ever made contact was last year when I wrote a lousy review on Dealer Rater. When you consider how many other dealers there are of this same brand, it's stunning they don't make any effort. That manager knew I was coming in for the proper sensors. He was the one who approved the order and no charge to me. Ya think he could have at some point made an effort to apologize for all the inconvenience.
Now....except for getting my winter tires out of storage when the time comes...I am done with this dealer. It will be easy to get any required services done at other dealers.

Now that the truck is taken care of....I need to figure out what next.....

I stopped in at Holeshot today and sat on a bunch of motorcycles. There's a nice 650 V-Strom there...ready for adventure.

blues2cruise wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2017 4:35 pm I stopped in at Holeshot today and sat on a bunch of motorcycles. There's a nice 650 V-Strom there...ready for adventure.

As long as you fit it (they're relatively tall), go for it, you won't be sorry. Don't worry about the relatively small displacement motor. Unless you're riding two-up going up mountains, they have plenty of power. Great all-around bike, and tons of farkles and aftermarket support available, too.

Jstark...I'm also relatively tall.

I haven't been here for a while. I was looking at motorcycles but got sidetracked by a bunch of different things.

My sister and her partner asked me if I could come to their place for the summer to help with child care. I have been here since the beginning of July. There are days when I wish I had said no...who knew 11 year old boys could be such a$$hole$. I will be here until after Labour Day at which point I will dog sit for a relative for a few days and then and free of all family commitments.

In the meantime I have also been painting the interior of a friend's house. The aforementioned nephew went to scout camp for a week and then on family vacation with his parent for 2 weeks. I have been able to go painting during those times.
The painting job turned out to be much bigger than I realized. If I had known how bad the walls were, I might have said no.
There were so many holes in the walls that needed to be filled and sanded. Some of the holes were like craters they were so large. Other parts of some walls had some junk stuck on with double sided foam tape. That was very difficult to remove and caused a lot of damage to the gyprock. It took a lot of work and time to repair.
So far I have painted 2 bedrooms, 3 closets, 1 bathroom, living room, dining room, hallway, family room. I still need to do the baseboards. The husband is a procrastinator. He does not help much and gets around to stuff eventually. I have had to help them move furniture and tear out the old carpets. I had to wash all the walls.
I have done so much cutting in and rollering that my hand hurts. A double dose of vitamin I helps.
Next week the nephew is gone to a YMCA kids camp so I will put on a big push to get this job done.

After the dog sitting, I am scheduled to go house sit for a few weeks while the owner tries to sell the house. He had rented it out, but the renters broke their lease and are leaving early. The owner lives in another city 4 hours away. He decided not to rent it out again, but to sell it instead. In order to keep the insurance valid he needs someone in it. It is about an hour or a bit more from Vancouver on an acre. It will be so nice and quiet for me. It will be a nice change after living in my sister's family's house for 2 months. It is at times quite chaotic here.
While I am on my own, I will make more effort to find either another long term house sitting arrangement or find my own next place to live. Right now I just don't have time to go look at anything.