An Odd's 'n End's Friday

Yesterday was a day of "odds 'n ends" for me. The only thing going on in the morning was the usual Friday house cleaning chores - vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, washing floors, dusting etc. I used to love Fridays as it signified the end of a work week. Since Paulette retired 2 years ago, however, it's become a day I dread even though I don't really do all that much - just vacuum the house and clean the full bath off our bedroom. It's not really the work that bothers me - it's just the fact that I have work scheduled. It seems too much like a job!

A Few Pics That Didn't Make It Into Earlier Blog Postings
Mikayla and me at the fish ladders on the Cowichan River


After we all had lunch, I asked Mikayla to gather up all the DVD's that needed to be returned to our local video store to avoid late fees. There were 6 in total, including "Hannah Montana - The Movie", which I'm sure Mikayla has watched at least 100 times! I told her we'd go to have a look around the Cobble Hill Fair which is celebrating it's 100th anniversary this year.

Molly and Rylie enjoying their outing near the Cowichan River


So, while Paulette stayed home to rest up a bit, Mikayla and I dropped off the videos, but before going to the fairgrounds, we had to go to the Mill Bay Vet to pick up another 10lb. bag of puppy chow for Rylie. I think Molly has discovered that Rylie's food is a little more tasty than her own and has been helping herself to the odd bowl, so we'll have to keep an eye on that.

The crystal clear pool at the bottom of the Niagara Falls in Goldstream


Leaving the Vet's office, we drove from Mill Bay to the Cobble Hill Fair Grounds only to discover that the Fair doesn't begin until Saturday and runs until Sunday - it's a pretty small event, like everything else around here! There was lot's of setup stuff going on, pens for the 4-H contests, food stands, rides, exhibits and all the other things that make local fairs interesting and fun, especially for kids. But, not yesterday. I told Mikayla we would come back either Saturday or Sunday for a visit and she was happy with that.

Come late October, this bridge will be required to cross Niagara Creek


About 6 months ago, our house seemed to be absolutely littered with DVD players. I'll bet we had at least 6 or more sitting around unused, in addition to the ones attached to both the wide-screen TV in our family room and the TV in Paulette's sewing room. All of a sudden, they're all gone - disappeared - except for an old no-name unit that we couldn't find a remote for. We had switched out Paulette's DVD player to put in Mikayla's room as she was really the only one watching movies, but that was really a short term solution. There was no way Paulette was going to get the old DVD player to work without a remote!

A look into the 'rainforest' in Goldstream Provincial Park


Anyway, we needed to get a new DVD player for the 5th wheel as we've been using a small portable unit to connect to our TV, but it finally gave up the ghost during our stay in Palm Springs earlier this year. So, instead of going to the Fair, I took Mikayla to Walmart to see if they had any bargain DVD Players - and, they did! I picked up a very nice little Sony DVD player for just $35. It plays all of the common formats, comes with a remote and best of all, has a very small footprint, so it will be perfect for our 5'er.

I swear by all that's holy - I didn't take this pic - Paulette did!!


On the way home from Walmart, I noticed that Paulette's Honda Odyssey was a bit overdue for an oil change, so we pulled into a Duncan Minute Lube and got a new oil filter, lube and oil change for $52. If I don't do this when I've got the Odyssey - it will never get done. Next was to fill it up with gas - $54.

Before heading for home, I noticed it was getting close to 5:00, so I phoned Paulette to see what she wanted to do for dinner. After a few no's to this and naw's to that, we decided to just go for take-out and try a place in town we've never been to - a Lee's Country Chicken joint. I picked up a Family Pack for $26 and headed home with another gourmet Friday night meal! It wasn't great - Col. Sanders can rest easy!!

A few 'seaside shanties' along the waterfront in Cowichan Bay


Last night as I was adding up yesterday's little "odd's 'n end's" - dog food($17), DVD player($35), oil change($52), gas($54) and Lee's Country Style Chicken($26) I realized that this little excursion to return the videos and go to the Cobble Hill Fair had ended up costing $184 - ouch!!! Even a community fair would never amount to that, would it?

So, that was my Friday! Nothing left to show for it except a bag of puppy chow, a small Sony DVD player and an upset stomach - all for just $184. Next Friday, I'm going to vacuum a lot slower and keep working until 7:00.