Just trying to get up to date.

I suppose that I have a lot to report since my last post, but I have to try to prioritize the news and put it in some kind of order.

First, our friend Barbara has had knee replacement surgery on Monday. She may read this so I'd better watch what I say. When I first saw her on Tuesday,(I Think), and she really didn't look too good. She had been in a lot of pain and was very uncomfortable. There was a monitor beside her bed that kept going into alarm and it was driving the whole floor crazy. Since it was right beside Barb's left ear, it must have been really terrible. Fortunately, when we went to see Barb last night it was a whole new story. Barb was alert and looked very good. She'd been up and walking a little and has made a remarkable improvement. Originally, she had planned to return home with Rita after the surgery, but I suspect the surgery was a little more difficult than it was the last time. At any rate, Barb was moved to a rehab facility until she feels well enough to go home. I believe the choice is hers.

The past week has been a very busy week for me as I prepared for another year as an AARP TAXAIDE volunteer. We are the people who will do your tax return for free. There are a few things to know, if you have not availed yourself of this service before. The service is for EVERYONE, age doesn't matter. You do not have to belong to AARP. The amount of money you make is not important, however, we cannot process income from rental property, businesses, or military income. I get a great deal of satisfaction from doing the taxes of people who have a very small income, yet paid a lot of money in the past to have a very simple return done. It was a week of classes every day and homework most nights. The worst part is the test at the end. If you fail the test, you are allowed one retest. Flunk the retest and you're out. I obsess over the test. I did pass and I will be working two days a week. One at the Lakes Region Library close to home and another at the Floral City Library about nine miles away. That'll keep me busy until the middle of April.

A couple of weeks ago I went out to check the motor home and found the water pump running but pumping no water. The tank was empty. I checked the level in the black and gray water tanks and they were both empty and I could not see ANY evidence of leakage anywhere in the camper. I connected the hose to the house water and checked as much as I could. Still, there was no evidence of a leak. I filled up the fresh water tank and disconnected the hose. Yesterday I went out to check the rig because I had to take it in for service today. I saw where there was a leak from the passenger side of the bus. Inside, I removed the drawers around the sink and stove and could see dampness way back where I would have no chance of getting access. I shut off the pump and opened the system drain to take all the pressure off the water system. Something I'd have to attack later.

This morning I took the bus to the local RV dealer to have the second Norcold refrigerator recall done. The last time, the technicians had to remove the refer from the wall to do the job and I ASSUMED that the same would be true today. I set the heat way up and opened the slide to give them room. My appointment was for 8:30 and I was a tad early. Did I mention that I've had a busy week? Well, I laid down on the sofa at around 8:45, and when I next opened my eyes it was after 11:00. I was perturbed that no one had been inside to fix the refer. I went to the service desk and asked when it would be done. "Huh?? It was done a couple of hours ago!!" I said no one came into the motor home and was told that this recall is done from the outside. A bit skeptical, I opened up the outside access to see what had changed. Sure enough, there was a modification done as I could see all the new shiny parts. Another important thing is that I saw the water leak that was dodging me. There is a very small plastic tube that brings water to the ice maker. It connects with a compression fitting to female hose fitting. The hose fitting to solenoid was the leaking spot. I again drained the water system and removed the hose fitting. There was combination hose gasket / metal screen filter that had come apart. I have replacements. In just a few minutes the problem was solved.

I was reading Sam's blog yesterday and I was taken by his thought on maintaining family contacts. Helen and I have been surrounded by our parents, close friends, and my unmarried Aunt all our lives. When we traveled by RV, all the surviving members would accompany us. MY brother and I chat at least once a week, every week. When we travel north we'll spend a couple of weeks camped at "Campground Ricky", where he has water and a 50 amp outlet for me. Now Rick has a place over in Palm Bay on Florida's east coast and when he's down, we'll either stay there for a few days or get a campground right around the corner. One year we all pitched in to give his house a new paint job. Some years I took the boat and we'd fish a few days.

Helen and I have two sons, with which we have a precarious relationship at best. We may hear from them several times a week or not hear from them in months. We are in frequent contact with our friends and feel that we can depend on some of them more than we could our sons. Of course I realize that they also have very busy lives and there is a great deal going on right now. Still!!!!!