Monday Rolls Around Again

Monday, 21 November, 2016.

Sunday, laundry day, started off breezy and cool. We kept the house pretty well buttoned up to keep what heat we had inside until the sun could warm things up enough so that we could fling open the doors and windows with abandon... Well, maybe not that exuberantly.

Laundry went off without a hitch. I do the washing and drying (whether with the gas dryer or on the line, which we haven't used since construction started - too much dust, etc.), and Dianna does the folding. A system that's worked well for us for years.

I had totally forgotten that we were supposed to be going to JamRock with Bruce and Colleen to eat lunch and play bingo, except Bruce had a meeting and would be missing lunch.

Leaving for JamRock was kind of significant for us. This was Dianna's first official use of the accessibility ramp to the parking area. She still had to use the brakes on her rolling walker, but she made it down and into the truck with a lot less effort than going down the front steps.

Meeting up at JamRock, we were pleasantly surprised that Bruce was able to make it for lunch. I think all four of us had baked chicken, which was fine.

After a short wait, bingo got underway. That was fun, and the first time we stayed for all the games. I won six bucks, and Dianna won twenty-five. I came within one number (I-31) of winning the big final jackpot of $114.00 BZD. Just as well. If I had won, there were about five or six other folks waiting for the same number so they could yell BINGO along with me. Altogether a fun afternoon.

We came home and lounged around for a bit. Dianna wasn't hungry, so I warmed up a bit of left-over spaghetti. We tried watching TV but decided we were too pooped and went to bed and read for a while before lights out.

So, now we're actually ready for Monday. Time for a cup of tea, then brew some coffee, walk the doggies, and pick up breakfast from the fry-jack shop in the market. Slather on some sour cream and Sriracha hot sauce (absolutely addictive stuff), and we're good to go for the morning.

Shade Fabric on Frame

Finally, after a long time, our old awning shade cloth is being put to a new use as wall screen material for the pool. It's amazing how well it has held up for the seven or so years that it was in use covering the pool.

For those who remember, it ran on guy wires stretch between steel beams at either end of the pool. Carabiners held the fabric to the wires, with each end of the fabric held to the beams with half-inch white nylon line.

Endher Stapling Shade Cloth

I had kept the awning when we took it down for the last time in hopes that we might be able to use it in this project and not be stuck with tons of shade cloth that we just couldn't get rid of.

So Tight You Can Bounce A Shilling

I think we'll get at least another five or six years use out this material, if not more. It just shows no signs of solar or other degradation.

A little play on words. We know it as 'So tight you can bounce a quarter.' Well down here in Belize, the twenty-five cent piece is called a 'shilling' not a 'quarter.' So, it's 'so tight you can bounce a shilling.'

Cutting Out Old Crack Patches

One of the last things they have worked on is, naturally, one of the first things we had happen. Cracks in the pool. Several over the years.

Here Daniel is cleaning old patching material out that we had left slightly mounded in place over a crack. None of the cracks have leaked since the project started, they're going to re-work the patches so that the pool bottom is nice and smooth.

Prepping to Re-Patch

Daniel is widening out the patch area getting ready for new hydraulic cement. Then the whole pool will get a new coat of Diamond Brite.

Arrest-A-Pest Spraying

The other thing that happened Monday, that was supposed to happen on Saturday, but didn't, was Tulio Rodriguez' Arrest-A-Pest spraying the Mennonite house upstairs and downstairs.

Tulio got hung up over in Chetumal trying to get back. The border crush apparently worked both ways, so he didn't make it for the appointment.

Talking to him on Sunday, we rescheduled for Monday morning. That happened and the bugs are taken care of for quite some months now.

The other part of this is that Nelson, our boy kitty, loves to nap all day long down in the basement of the Mennonite house. We kept him out for Saturday, because of the spraying that was to take place. That upset him. Then Sunday, as we weren't having any workers, there was no need to lock up doggies or open the basement for Nelson. So, that pissed him off further. So, here comes Monday, with another spray appointment. Nelson was again denied access to his favorite hidey-hole. This really pissed him off, He moped around and slept on the bed and in the closet.

Poor Mr. Nelson

Here he is, asleep on the bed. Poor feller. I really felt sorry for him with two out of the three days he was looking forward to a good long nap.

And Then There's the Pool

So, cooking is one thing.

The other is our pool. Those of you who are familiar with it know that we've been patching cracks in the pool wall for some years now. Well, the last time Carlos and I patched a crack, it only stayed patched for a couple of days, and we were right back losing water as if we had done nothing. We decided this was the point of no return.

This photo was taken just the day before the crack reappeared and our idyllic life changed again. This was the first time Dianna tried venturing into the pool since her hip surgery. Looks just perfect.

First and Last

That will be the last time for a couple of months. We decided things had reached the point of no return for the pool. If we didn't do something drastic, it was just going to collapse and we'd have nothing but a pile of rubble.

Among other things, the pool pump house was leaning in a more precarious angle than ever before. In fact, I was surprised the water pipes and electricity were all still connected.

Coming Apart At the Seams

You may know the cracks were caused by an underground stream we discovered after we'd had the pool for about three years.

I'll put together a few photos showing what has happened to the pool as a result. I'm also working on a new slide show plug-in for the blog. Then we can really show some pictures.