Update

Well, it seems I've gotten a bit behind here again. Gee, amazing how that can happen at times. It's not as if I've been busy or anything, must just be lazy. Haha.

Friday:
Thursday night I got an email from Max, from my Toastmasters club. She and David were meeting in the morning at 10am, at one of the A&W Restaurants in town, and I was invited to join them.

On the way to the meeting I stopped and fueled up my truck. I had heard that the gas prices would be jumping up big time, as much as 12 or 13 cents a litre. I sure was happy to see that I got to the station before the higher prices did. Later in the day, I noticed prices had gone up 9 cents a litre.

Max & David were working on planning the upcoming Humorous Speech and Table Topics and Evaluator and Table Topics Evaluator contest, haha. Yes, there are 4 categories to enter and compete in. I was going to help them with the planning, then ended up signing up to compete in the Humorous Speech Contest... and in the Table Topics Contest. So, I have to write and practice a 5-7 minutes speech, and it has to be really funny, for Monday September 22... not much time. The Table Topics in a bit hard to prepare for, other than knowing lots of stuff about lots of stuff, haha. A Table Topic is when the speaker is given a topic and speaks on it, without time to prepare, for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. A bell signals when you reach 1 1/2 minutes and again when you reach 2 minutes... ifyou are still talking at 2 minutes, 10 seconds, you are clapped down. In a contest, you would be diqualified for going over time, where as there's no penalty for it in the nightly club meetings.

After A&W, we went to the facility where we rent a space on Monday evenings to hold our meetings. We have a storage closet space there where we keep all our materials and such. We went through all the manuals and other papers and such, taking inventory on what all we have and disposing of some outdated things.

From there I went to the Okanagan Centre for Spiritual Living to do some of my volunteer work there. It took a lot longer than I'd planned, which was a bit frustrating at the time, lol. I did the computer work on the Sunday Programs, then printed them out, cut what needed to be cut. Then I printed out a bunch of stuff for putting into Newcomer Packages, telling people what all we believe in and what we offer there, stuff like that. I also helped out a bit with some of the renovations that are still happening there. So much has been done, and yet there is still more to do, and must all be finished this week.

When I left the Centre, I took with me a lot of paperwork... all the Program and Newcomer stuff... so I could fold and stuff at my leasure.... later.

Next was a water place where I filled up my 2 big (18.9 litre/5 US gallon) water jugs with nice reverse osmosis water for drinking. While there I let Reba out of the truck for a bit so she could go to the bathroom if need be. There was a guy came walking by with a female Rottweiler on lead, and they stopped to visit a bit. His rotti, Dakota, is 5 years old and Reba is very nearly 10. Dakota is also about half Reba's size. I know Reba is large for a female, but wow, I was amazed at how small Dakota is, how small and fine her feet are. She must have been the runt of the litter, haha.

Next was a stop at Value Village, second hand store where you can get pretty much anything, haha. I didn't get what I went there for, but ended up getting a bunch of other stuff. Figures. I got a small burgundy purse for $4, a larger black purse $2, 2 cloth bags with draw strings $1, cow salt & pepper shakers $2, sugar bowl with lid that matches a tea set I have $1. I think that's all of it, lol.

From there, up to the dog park for a walk with Reba. By this time, my back was hurting so bad I could barely walk, so had to dig my cane out from under a bunch of stuff in the back of the truck cab. I haven't needed to use the cane in over a year, maybe well over a year... but I sure needed it this day. I managed to make it one time around the park, including a short trip into the wooded area. One thing that helped a lot was I got to walk with someone else, and take my mind off myself while we visited.

After that, I went to grocery shop. I had to get some stuff for making a pasta salad for Sunday Pot Luck which the Centre holds once a month. Also needed the cane there. While shopping, I met a fellow that I know from the Centre, but haven't seen there in awhile. Visited with him, his 3 year old daughter, and his mother. Nice people, cute kid.

I got home about 9pm and had to pack everything into the house... well, everything except the water jugs. Those I left in the back of the truck for another day. My pain tolerence had run out... awhile back.

I figured I just go straight to bed and give my back a break... and yet that's not what happened... sigh. I ended up downloading a game from the internet. It was supposed to be a mahjong game, but wasn't. I got into playing it and it was after 7am Saturday when I finally had to go to bed. I couldn't keep my eyes open to play another round, haha.

I slept until around 10am, then rolled over and went back to sleep until about 1pm. I felt somewhat hung over when I got up, but after awhile that passed. I forget just now what all I did around home for the next few hours, lol. I know my friend Joseph phoned me from Ohio, so that was a wonderful 15 minutes.

Later Saturday afternoon, I made the 1/2 hour drive to Mom's to visit her and my cousin Carol & husband Terry who were up in this area for a horse show/competition. Carol is a very accomplished rider and still rides in competition, though she is now 69 years of age. They spend a lot of time in their motor home, towing 2 horses in a trailer behind them, travelling from show to show. They left today to go to Monro, WA, USA for the last show of this year. We went out for Chinese dinner, then C&T left to go back to bed the horses down before dark. Mom & I went back to her place where I folded and stuffed until I had the Sunday Programs and the Newcomers Packages all done. It was great, as always, to spend time with Mom... and with Carol & Terry.

When I got home, about 9pm, I was very tired, so didn't do too much before going to bed. I turned out the light at 11:45pm.... this is very early for me.

Sunday morning (this morning) I got up, with a lot of difficulty, and got all showered and dressed, then off to the Centre. I presided over the Celebration Service (give announcements on many things happening and soon to happen at the Centre, introduce different speakers, introduce congregational songs, and musicians), and as always, the Congregational Song Leader. Afterwards, we had our monthly Pot Luck Lunch.

Just after 1pm, I left there and drove out to pick up a laundry sink I got off Freecycle. She'd said there were also 4 treated round fence posts there for me too, but they weren't there when I got there. I wasn't happy about that, but grateful for the laundry tub. Measured when I got home and it is not going to fit where I wanted to put it, now not sure what I'll do with it, haha.

I stopped at one of the Starbucks in town to visit a bit with Ray, fellow I know through the Centre. While visiting, we got talking about what he does for a living, and he mentioned needing someone to work for him. I'm meeting with him and 2 others tomorrow morning and it looks like I just might have a job. I'll tell more about it later.

I went to Staples and picked up some folders for making up Toastmasters Guest Packages. Grabbed a Coke from a machine just down from Staples, then came home. When I got here, my friend Dan was in the driveway. I told him I had to lay down cuz of my back, so he came and layed on top of my bed with me and visited for awhile. It was rather nice. I actually had a shoulder to put my head on for awhile, lol.

I've been trying to give stuff away on Freecycle the last while and haven't had much luck with that, but one gal kept phoning saying how much she wanted my dual reclining loveseat. She was trying to get her husband to cooperate with coming out for it, and trying to borrow a truck to haul it in. Finally, today they made it out and got that. I liked it, but it was time to let it go. I'd gotten it off Freecycle, so of course gave it away that way too. I have recently gotten 2 large chairs that can be put together to make a love seat, so figure that will suit me for awhile. They're in the carport so now can come inside. This evening, after a nap with the cat, I've done some much needed work cleaning and vacuuming in this messy/filthy home of mine. I also did a load of laundry. The place is already looking much better, and yet there is a lot... no... a LOT of work needed here. This is a good start, and I'm looking forward to doing more. I want my home to be nice again, and it's all too long since it was.