Sunday, April 15, 2012

Chores

As mentioned in the previous post, Saturday was the most perfect day but I had many errands to do and I would have felt guilty if I tootled the whole day on my bike. I also had an appointment to bring my car in for warranty work and Saturday is most convenient for me since it is awkward on weekdays to bring it in, and is close to home

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Also, we have changed our Saturday breakfast location from Kitsilano (Downtown Vancouver) and now meet in Steveston, a small community half an hour south-west of Vancouver. My appointment is at noon so I decided to ride my bike for breakfast, ride over to the Triumph dealer to look at Hi-Viz jackets on clearance, then ride home and switch over to the car

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at 8:30am nothing is happening and I have the boardwalk virtually to myself. The skies look threatening but there was no sign of rain. Soon the warmer weather will bring lots of activity here and parking will be at a premium

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Pajo's Fish & Chips is a favoured place for locals. They have excellent Fish & Chips and you can select from Cod or Salmon. You will seldom find this place without a sizeable line on a warm summers day

I arrive home to bring my car for service, and a small job which was promised `within the hour` ends up taking three. After that I head home as I am anxious to do my chores to free up my Sunday. It was a struggle trying to start my lawn mower for the first time this year. Yanking on that string nearly yanked my arms out of my sockets. No, I don`t install fuel stabilizer, nor do I change the spark plugs. I just expect that it will start as it does every year.

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It`s a bit chilly as I tackle the back yard first. The lawn mower is struggling with the long, wet grass causing it to stop often which requires it to be re-started. I find that the first cut of the year is the most difficult

I am a third of the way working on the front . . . and I have to pause for a rest break

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cutting grass is hard work when you would rather be doing something else, like riding. After the lawn is done it is time to remove the snow tires

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I have tires mounted on separate rims and I have a small hydraulic jack which makes changing tires a bit easier, but I still use elbow grease to remove the lug nuts. I used to tag my wheels with their location but as my tires are directional I just put them on their respective sides and

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select the tires with the best tread to be installed on the front. Soon I am working on my last tire and take a moment to gather my breath. I have a torque wrench and set the lug nuts at 85psi.

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I then brought out my portable air compressor and set the tires at 33psi, I am not sure but this pressure sounds about right. I was going to wash the mags as they were dirty when I removed them last Fall but then decided to just wash the whole car. I mean, the car was filthy anyway and what sense would it be to have clean wheels and a dirty body

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I`m not used to all this exercise and it felt hot, so I got to wear shorts for the first time this year. Driving a clean car gives you a good feeling

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and now I have all day Sunday to myself, without feeling guilty. As you know, Sunday is usually a non-riding day, but Mrs Skoot is away and `when the cat`s away, the mouse will play`

16 comments:

  1. I am continually amazed by your bare feet. My feet are cold just reading your blog. I am a bare foot wussy unless it is summer.

    You need a smaller yard so it is quicker to mow.

    Did you get to ride today? We rode yesterday and did chores today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trobairitz:

      Infortunately for me, chores always come first, because if it rained then I couldn't cut the grass on Sunday and it needed to be done. I managed a "quilt free" Sunday

      Delete
    2. There is something to be said for getting chores done. It is nice to get them done, even those that are repeats, like laundry, lawn mowing, etc.

      We knew Saturday would be the nicer days we rode, then went to some plant nurseries on Sunday and came home and did some yard work. Darn rains came back today.

      Delete
    3. Trobairitz:

      The forecast for Sunday was iffy, so I had to cut the grass. It was already too high and thick. I usually do repeats on weekdays, but the weather wasn't co-operating

      Delete
  2. So where did you wander too? Did you go anywhere interesting? My Sunday was quiet, it was chore day.

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    Replies
    1. Dar:

      Yes, Sunday was interesting, I saw a work of art worthy of being in the Smithsonian and lots of history too

      Delete
  3. I feel guilty reading your blog.....I try to do jobs, inevitable I end up finding some kind of pathetic excuse why I shouldnt and then go riding.

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    Replies
    1. Roger:

      You should feel guilty, shame on you for skipping your chores. I could relax because in the back of my mind I know what I should have been doing, instead (of riding)

      Delete
  4. Nice job with the chores Bob....as to safety footwear though....

    dom


    Redleg's Rides

    Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Charlie6:

      things don't get done just by looking at them and I had been looking at that growing grass for the past couple of weeks, but it had been raining and the grass was wet, that is, until Saturday. I just had to do it

      Delete
  5. 85 ft-lbs for the lug nuts. (An impact wrench wrench would really speed up that twice a year chore.)

    It sounds like too many chores getting in the way. I'm sure that there is a kid down the street more than willing to mow your lawn.

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    Replies
    1. Richard:

      I don't usually use a torque wrench, I go by "feel" but our son said that the nuts were not on tight enough so he brought his torque wrench out for me to use. Sorry, we are in a mature area, no "kids" or teenagers near us. I used to pay a gardening service but we had dogs and had locked gates. Then I got annoyed when they started to cut in the evenings when we were having dinner and wanted quiet time. Sometimes I think we should put in a Japanese garden and lots of crushed rock and get rid of the grass

      Delete
  6. You done good. I can't say I would have done the correct thing and attended to all those chores, but we did stay home to do some of them. I agree with Richard...an impact wrench would speed that job up quite a bit.

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    Replies
    1. Steel CupCake:

      I used to have a compressor, until it broke. I just didn't replace it yet but it seems overkill for a job that is only done twice a year. I can manage with "manual" labour, I need the exercise, but I am still recovering with aches all over

      Delete
  7. Ah, life would be much more fun if it wasn't for the chores. Thankfully for me it was a rainy weekend and I didn't feel guilty doing the inside chores. I am however, amazed at the cleanliness of those tootsies after doing the yard work!

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    Replies
    1. VS Lady:

      that's not fair, it should only rain on weekdays. I feel guilty when there is work to be done, and I didn't do them. You don't know how many times I have to wash my feet.

      Delete