Three days off

For the first time this year since I’ve been at Tamarac, I decided to take my three days off in a row.  Other than needed ordinary chores, I just didn’t do much of anything.  No commitments, no visitors, nothing.  I have to admit it was rather refreshing. 

                                                      A bald eagle soared overhead.

One of the inside things I did tackle was getting my Splendide washer/dryer back in working order.  It had taken to not drying very well, and shutting down in the middle of the drying cycle.  I was afraid I’d have to find a dealer to take the rig to for repairs.  Then John and Bridget told me they once had the same problem.

                                   A female American goldfinch dining on the bull thistles in my yard.

John contacted the Splendide folks, and got directions on how to take care of the problem.  No mechanical skills involved in this fix at all.  It just takes loads of time to put the washer through it’s paces to cure the problem of gathered lint in the machine.  It’s a rather detailed step by step solution, but if any of you ever have this problem I’d suggest you check out their blog.  John has put the solution on the side bar of the blog.  You can book mark the steps like I did so you won’t tear your hair out if this happens to you.

Neil Powers, the refuge manager, told me that they like to do a little something each year to improve the RV volunteer sites.  Last year, we got big cement patios.  This year, they are building an 8’ X 16’ storage shed for the volunteer’s use.  Today the cement floor for the shed was laid.  I know that once it’s done, I’ll use it to store my bike, Emma’s traveling crate, and that blasted extra refrigerator compressor that I’ve been toting around.  It would also be a great place to store my birdseed for the Hard Rock Bird Café.  I’ll keep you posted on its progress.

One of the things I enjoy doing on my time off is planning for future adventures.  To that end, today I looked into some possibilities for next summer.  Some time ago I contacted a place in Oregon about a summer position, but I’m not sure that will ever come to anything.  Instead, I picked a refuge in Colorado and left a message about my interest in volunteering there.  All the while, John Denver’s song about “Wouldn’t you rather be in Colorado?” kept playing in my head.  I’ve spent brief periods in that state, but I think I’d enjoy an extended stay.  I’ve got my fingers crossed that they’ll call me back soon.

This evening as Emma and I were sitting outside, I spotted a nice white-tailed buck in the marsh beyond my site.  His velvety antlers fairly glowed in the beams of the setting sun.  He was quite a distance away.  He was actually munching away in the middle of the marsh pictured at the end of tonight’s post.

Tomorrow it’s back to work, but I’ve got a new assignment that will keep me outdoors.  I can’t complain about that.

                                                                               Good night!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy