So, since I last posted, a few things have happened. First, we got our Lance Armstrong elliptical, yea! We decided that, since we had the money, buying our first exercise equipment was the best way to get us both into exercising. We've spent way too much time on the couch since we got here. As is often the case, the company doesn't ship to Alaska, so we did what every one else on the island does, had it shipped to a freight company, and they brought it up to the island and delivered it. Putting it together took about four hours. They provided the hardware on a bubble-pack, marked for each step of assembly, and also provided the tools, so it went up pretty easily. It sits in our living room, in front of the television, and works out great: I still get to watch TV, but now I'm burning calories and improving my heart. Kathy is nursing a cold, so hasn't gotten into a routine yet.Tuesday was another dentist appointment, this one to work on the second, and last, crown replacement. This was on a back molar, my most expensive tooth, my one and only root canal. The dentist drilled out the crown, then got to work on the underlying decay. It wasn't too long before he pronounced the decay too deep: the tooth could not be saved. I got lucky, in one respect, since it was the back molar, it didn't have to be replaced. The 'operation' was a success, and the patient survived, and only had to resort to the Vicodin twice during recovery. All in all, not so bad an appointment, and I'm good for six months. Now, if I can just get the insurance company to come to their senses.
We also finally have windshield wipers, yea! Here is a very simple thing it's easy to take for granted, though less so in a rain forest! I had to pay for the replacement myself, and the installation, since there is no authorized Subaru mechanic on the island, but the alternative was to spend about $700 to get the car to Juneau and back, not to mention my time: it's three hours one way to Ketchikan alone, then it's 17 hours to Juneau! Even figuring in overnight travel, that is still a long time on the water.
Despite the arrival of winter and it's tendency to a quieter time for nature, I've managed to attract a steady flow of birds to our porch. Jays, juncos, and chickadees come by as fast as I put out more birdseed. Twice I've found birdseed in my boot, and it's got me wondering what's going on: who is hiding birdseed in my boot?
Tsk, Tsk.... all those wonderful tree-lined trails almost at your doorstep and you resort to inside equipment?! Just kidding! I live in the middle of mountains, only minutes from either lake or forest trails, and I have an elliptical trainer here in my living room, too! hahaha Many people don't realize how slippery snow covered pine needles are. I bruised my butt quite a few times before realizing I'm not cut out for winter on the trails.
ReplyDeleteI smiled when I read about the birdseed in the boots. I keep a pair of work gloves on my deck and would get birdseed inside them somehow. One day I reached for them and a little field mouse with cheeks full of seed was under them. Gave me quite the "start", but I think he was more frightened than I. There hasn't been seed in my gloves since then though. Maybe you have a friendly Mr. Mousekivitz living nearby, too?