|
|
|
as long as I have a plan
Tuesday, March 31 2026
Early this afternoon, Gretchen and I dropped the Subaru Forester off at Van Kleeck Tires to get new tires and to have a ball joint replaced. (Gretchen is now firmly back to having our vehicles worked on at Van Kleeck despite their politics.) I'd also hoped to get it inspected, but on the drive there I heard a grinding sound every time I applied brakes. So I asked if maybe the left front brake could be done as well. They said they'd see if they could. I took a cup of free coffee before going outside to wait for Gretchen (who was some minutes behind me for some reason). That coffee was surprisingly good.
Today was humid and even a little hot at times, and I made many forays to the west end of the Chamomile Wall to continue building it out. The part of it west of the Stick Trail is now nearly 50 feet long, making the entire wall about two hundred feet long.
Meanwhile Gretchen went out several times today to do things like pilates. Van Kleeck got back to her late this afternoon saying they hadn't been able to fix the one brake because of a stripped nut (the same problem I'd had after my impact wrench destroyed it). Not only that, but the caliper replacement I'd done on the rear passenger-side was deemed a failure because it was the "wrong" one. (Remember how I'd had to hack the brake line to get it to reach.) This threw me into an immediate funk. My stomach began to fell uncomfortable and I actually had to lie down for a moment. But I couldn't let this set back get to me. I did a little research and discovered there are such things as bolt extractors that can bit into bolts or rounded heads (they tighten counter-clockwise like screw extractors but are female instead of male). So I immediately bought a set of such extractors for $35 on eBay, and my discomfort lifted like a morning fog. As long as I have a plan, I feel hopeful.
This evening Gretchen was on a very long Zoom call related to her abortion access work. I needed a mental reset despite the warmth, so I took a bath. As I did so, a big thunderstorm (the first of the year) approached, with much booming and flashing. After Gretchen was done with her Zoom call, we watched the homunculi-filled final episode of Small Prophets. I was eating left-over noodle casserole at the time, which was a little unappetizing, as the homunculi had the color and apparent texture of the casserole.
The springtails (which I think are the same as snow fleas) were out in force today, usually on cold rocks moistened by the humid air. Click to enlarge.
Neville walks along the stone wall at the bottom of the Woodshed Path. Click to enlarge.
The west end of the Chamomile Wall back on the 26th. Click to enlarge.
Looking westward on the west part of the Chamomile Wall yesterday. Click to enlarge.
Neville walks south through the Stick Trail gap in the Chamomile Wall. You can see the east section of the wall here. Click to enlarge.
For linking purposes this article's URL is:
http://asecular.com/blog.php?260331 feedback
previous | next |
