It’s safe to park next to me now :)

I was hoping to post pictures of how I do the salinity testing on the refuge tonight, but there was a fly in the ointment with that plan.  I’ll have to do that next week. 

_MG_4194

I picked up fellow volunteer, Jim, to take him along with me since I would be doing a back road that hadn’t had much use since hurricane Ike hit.  It turned out that the only pictures I could take were from the safety of the refuge vehicle.  We’ve got several white-tailed kites on the refuge right now.

_MG_4199

We did one test on the back road, but were accosted by thousands of mosquitoes.  I was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, and had to put the hood up and pull the strings to only leave a small area open on my face.  My only other exposed skin was my hands.  After that one trip out of the suburban, we decided to forget about the rest of the tests.  I’ve never seen the mosquitoes that bad.  Sitting in the car, the windows were covered with them!  We itched our way down the road and could only take pictures through the window.  (white pelicans)

_MG_4201

                                                                                Great egret.

Last night I posted about the woes I’m having with water pressure in the rig.  Many people responded with suggestions.  That was just what I was hoping for.  All of us here had tried everything we could think of.  I had already changed hoses, removed the water pressure regulator, and cleaned the new water filter.

_MG_4204

The other guys had checked all the connections, filters, and washers.  We remained stymied.  I was still reluctant to fill the fresh water tank and just use the on board water pump for showers.  I really don’t want the water from here in that tank.  I know it has gone through all of my pipes, but I can’t think of any way of getting that kind of crud out of the tank after I leave.  I use that tank for drinking water when I am not here.

As Emma and I sat outside this afternoon with no one around, I decided to try the one suggestion I hadn’t done yet.  Several of you had commented on it, so it certainly couldn’t hurt to give it a try.  I told Emma to cross her toenails as I removed the water filter from the holder.  I put the holder back on without the filter and turned the water back on.  I then held my breath as I went inside, stepped on the toilet pedal, and pushed down the sprayer lever.  Viola!!  That little sprayer just came to life!

So now it’s safe to park next to me because I’ll finally be able to take a shower.  Smile  Isn’t is amazing how some of the littlest things in life can make your day?  The toilet bowl sprayer works once again today, and yesterday I got to have two pieces of turkey breast skin with a little salt on them.  (a once a year treat for me)  Life doesn’t get much better than that!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Whale Sharks, the Big Friendly Giants

Image
I was always told that seeing a whale shark in the water with you will leave you awe struck and speechless. If you know me in real life, then you know that there are very few times that I am speechless, much to hubs disappointment (especially when he's trying to sleep).  We made great time on our road trip and arrived in Oslob by around 9:30. As soon as you reach the small town, you're bombarded with signs leading to businesses that will take you out to see the whale sharks. I admit that it was a huge tourist trap but sometimes you just have to suck it up, put on your 'I love Cebu' T-shirt and fanny pack and join the other tourists in order to see one of the most amazing things I have ever laid my eyes on. We first had to sit through a five minute safety and informational speech. They explained to us that each day they send boats out that throw small fish into the water to attract the whale sharks. This is yes, for the purpose of tourism, but also so scientists in the
Read more

Yahoo! The sun returned.

Image
There was fog when I woke up this morning, but the power of the sun with no clouds in the sky soon burned it off.  Hot dog!  I hung out a load of laundry, and then got ready to greet my morning visitors. Bridget and John of Travels of John and Bridget….and Fred , finished their camp host volunteer assignment in North Dakota and stopped by for a visit while spending some time in Detroit Lakes.  What a beautiful morning we had for a tour of the refuge. My friend, the young bald eagle, was perched as if on cue by the Chippewa Picnic Area.  I parked the refuge truck, and we were able to walk right under its favorite perch without it spooking off.  It only screamed at us a few times.  We even witnessed a small kettle of northern harriers catching a thermal to spiral up over the Otter Tail River so they could attain altitude to continue their migration south.  It was a stellar morning to be out and about.  We could hear the far off guns of the waterfowl hunters, but we stayed in ar
Read more

"Masterchef " Finalist Tracy Nailor's Haute Dishes

Image
You may know Tracy Nailor as a finalist from Fox TV’s “Masterchef” with Gordon Ramsay. Nailor, a Pediatrician and Atlanta resident is not only a great cook, but she’s so much fun! Last night, my good friend Monique and I were invited by the Concentrics Restaurants group to dinner at the posh, Midtown haute spot Room at Twelve for a sample of Nailor’s creative dishes. We started off with crab cakes before moving onto the smothered chicken over rice. You can say it’s home-style comfort food that makes you want hug your plate. During dinner, Nailor gave a cooking demo on how to make her Caramelized Banana Napoleon. It was pretty tasty, particularly if you like a modern twist on banana pudding. She’s full of terrific recipes that make you remember your southern roots... so when Monique and I show up for Thanksgiving dinner, she shouldn’t be surprised! You can find Nailor’s recipes and others in the Masterchef Season 1 cookbook! What’s your favorite comfort food dish?
Read more