–Rain…

–Took a brief ride.

–Specialized Sirrus came in. Sweet bike. Had a scare when acetone made a mess while trying to remove sticker adhesive. Mother’s mag saved the day. Bike isn’t as light as I thought it would be, and has a significantly higher high gear compared to the InnerLight. Hydraulic brakes don’t have much “pedal,” but they don’t act like they’re going to hit the handlebars and they don’t rub. Haven’t tried a real hard stop yet.

–Went for a brief swim. Pool a little cool at 81, new swim fins too small and stiff. New Speedo goggles okay after an initial leak.

–Returned the old iPhone at the UPS store; took a little ride around the neighborhood.

–Algae in pool again. Kind of annoying.

–New iPhone came in. Seems fine.

–Sanded a ding out of a western Shigefusa gyuto, refinished it, ready for sale.

–Hung a shower curtain liner in Grace’s bathroom.

–Put gas in the Civic, first time since March 20th.

–Douglas Electric came out and (properly) fixed the outside photocell and the inside porch light timer.

–Hung the burro tail succulent (which, like the other cacti, is thriving) from a tree, as it was hitting the ground.

–Tried to seal up watering hole in pool rocks. We’ll see.

–Added (new, deluxe) bird seed to garden feeder. Added a plain (or oak) titmouse to sightings of goldfinch, house finch and mourning dove.

–Baked a loaf of one-hour bread.

–Went to Target to pick up an order: Shark vacuum, shower caddy, printer paper, digital thermometer.

–Took a swim; took a shower.

–Filled out 110 Playa disclosures and sent to Michael.

–Took a swim. Air 91, water 88.

–Hung blinds in Grace’s bedroom.

–Talked to David Chapman. All good with him and his family.

–Pool still bubbling, very low pressure. Called Pool Time. $125 service charge, waived if it’s a warranty issue. Coming May 18.

–Tried hard to hook up Honeywell timer for front porch light. No dice. I hate electricity.

–Mowed the lawn. Added Monday to Thursday for watering.

–Docu-signed documents for accepted offer at 110 Playa.

–Rode with Tom Elken to see eagle’s nest on the bike trail near Folsom. Cool, though kind of a disaster logistically.

–Michael Casserd called with an offer on LSB: $1,150,000. We’ll counter at $1,220,000.

–Dropped Rolex 1680 off at Ivanov’s Watch Repair.

–Left hearing aid went out around 6 PM.

–Figured out how to remove sliding glass windows: open all the way first, then tilt out. Turns out lower floor windows have hidden magnetic sensors for alarm system. Upper floor windows have visible sensors attached to frame. Discovered what might be usable replacement latches, but will probably try to replace internal springs first.

–Drove to Roseville Cyclery in…Roseville. Waited in line for a bit (four at a time allowed in), listened to a Sirrus hub (not loud at all), ordered a Specialized Sirrus X 5.0. Coming in 10 days or so.

–Worked on the back screen door; got it to open and close a little easier.

–Took a long drive to Ken’s Bike & Ski in Davis to look at Specialized Sirrus bikes. Turns out they just went appointment-only. Screw ’em.

–Made some yummy brownies.

–Pool still low on chlorine, high on alkalinity. Added stuff.

–Got part 2 of a haircut from Grace.

–Paid another Fastrak “toll violation” of $6.00.

–Went to Heritage to deposit Great Infusions check. The Heritage checks arrived today, two days early. Turns out I already had Heritage checks, hiding in my drawer (in plain sight). We won’t mention that to anyone.

–Bought some pasta, sauce and meatballs from The Pasta Queen.

–Ergon bike grips came. Nice.

–Used Taylor strips to test pool water. Said 0 chlorine (reagents agreed), low calcium hardness, high pH. Added another ton of chemicals, as I did two days ago. Getting worrisome.

–Took a ride with Tom Elken; chatted a little afterwards. Nice.

–Got some corn and ground turkey patties while shopping; cooked ’em up on the Weber. Darn good.

–Got bagels at New York bagels. They said they would accept a phone order for next day bagels.

–Marie for dinner.

–Heard from Tom Elken. He’ll come over Tuesday for a bike ride.

–Took a bike ride earlier than usual (10ish). Weather was great, but JSMBT was really crowded. Kind of fatigued again going up Heartbreak Hill.

–Took a swim. Pool temp was 82 (fine with me), water had zero odor, length seems fine.

–Did a lot of pool chemistry. Temp is 83. Swim tomorrow!!

–Made cranberry-orange muffins for dessert.

–Talked to Michael Casserd about house sale. Lots of possibilities.

–Pool is getting warm. Did some chemistry–needs LOTS of additives. Got some calcium chloride at Callen (why did I buy calcium carbonate? God only knows.).

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 6 PM.

–Put air in the cars’ tires and gas in the Beemer.

–Took a bike ride.

–Mowed the lawn.

–Installed a Planet Bike speedometer on the InnerLight, just like it used to be. Hopefully I can calibrate it.

–Walked to Bel Air to deposit checks at Heritage and check on check order. Tracking said it shipped on 3/16 and was delivered on 3/20. Wow. They stopped payment on those checks and ordered a new box, free of charge. Hope they come.

–Changed address at DMV–with some difficulty.

–Drove to Home Depot 14 miles away to recycle. They only take plastic bags, not bubble wrap and such.

–Pool was cloudy again and there was algae on the steps; controller said temp was 72 (5 degrees or so less than I measure at the surface). Shocked it.

–Took a shower. Shower is finally magnificent.

–Had a sesame bagel from New York Bagels. Better than Safeway/Bel Air, not as good as The Bagelry.

–Went on a bike ride on the InnerLight. 9.5 miles, and made it up Heartbreak Hill without a problem. A banner day! (And I think the fat bike will have to go. The weight and tires make it tough to ride, even with gears. Good for fitness, I suppose, but I think I can bring back the steel thighs in time on the single speed.)

–Took a bike ride; worked on Fat Bike brakes some more.

–Got some groceries at Bel Air (TWO sheriff’s cars outside), then ordered a large combo pizza at Il Forno. Pizza was 14″, cost $35, was good but not spectacular.

–Got some bagels at New York Bagels. Slim pickin’s, $11 for 12.

–J-knife came in, plus stone. Both kind of crappy.

–Aztec came out, fixed leak and painted pipes.

–Pool is 77.

–Right hearing aid went out around 10 AM. Replaced batteries in both at that time.

–Pool is at 77.

–There was more algae on pool steps. Added algaecide.

–Ordered 10 N95 masks from Ali Express, 4-7 day delivery.

–Rolex microstella tool came in. Adjusted Turn-O-Graph from +10 s/d to 0 s/d. Seemed to lose a little amplitude (though it’s outstanding for a watch that old) and beat error went from .1 to.3. Not bad for the first time.

–Took a bike ride. Odometer seemed off in wrong direction after (second) adjustment. Perhaps due to less-inflated tires. I don’t recall that was a huge issue way back when.

–Pool is 73. Yes!

–Walked to Bel Air for dessert, cream cheese, jam.

–Took a shower.

–Pool looks really clear, 69 degrees. Warm weather coming.

–Spent some time refinishing my Devin Thomas knives. Will likely keep the new 225 (230), sell the others. The 270 is special, but just too big to enjoy.

–Got s state tax refund check for $1,293.

–Got gas and drove to LSB to clear out last remaining stuff.

–Tried to make Pillsbury orange rolls. Burnt them to a crisp at low end of 15-19 minute cooking range.

–Went to the post office and paid $8.70 to retrieve mosquito net–one month after ordering.

–Set up the stereo. Speakers coming tomorrow.

–Went to post office to pick up mosquito net (not there) and mail Janet Cantelon’s birthday package.

–Went to Safeway to recycle stuff (no bins) and get apples/oranges/meat etc.

–New Devin Thomas 225 came in (along with some monster knife that was a forced co-buy). Beauty, though needed a little work on the belt grinder for some micro-chips.

–Painting from reddit guy in Vancouver came in. Nice.

–Michael Casserd finally called, will leave papers in garage for filling out.

–Sharpened another of Grace’s knives, nicely.

–Went shopping. Pasta Queen closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Got much at Bel Air.

–Took a shower.

–Put in new hearing aid batteries around 9 AM.

–Tons of rain and wind. Skimmed pool several times. Doesn’t seem like it wants to overflow. Ordered some shock treatment (for algae) from eBay.

–“Fixed” loose drawer pulls in kitchen area. Weird design: clean-looking, but utterly impossible to access for proper tightening. Many more to fix in bathrooms.

–Rainy and gloomy.

–Left hearing aid died around 9 PM.

–Returned LSB Comcast box via UPS.

–Hawaii Five-O finale. Useless.

–Continued unpacking garage. Hung the Batman rag holder.

–Taylor pool test came in. Alkalinity, pH and calcium hardness are pretty decent.

–Set up bird bath.

–Pool at 68, weight at 210 around 5 PM.

–Got breakfast-in-a-bag at Holiday Inn (apple, banana, OJ, water, energy bar).

–Went to 110 Playa and packed what I could. Left the tall lamps (after determining they would fit), the guitars (gave Reuben the Guild acoustic), stereo speakers, artwork. Drove back to Sac.

–Pool was 66 degrees around 5 PM (kitchen thermometer).

–Drove to LSB to pick up remaining stuff. Highways eerily empty.

–Got a “Corralitos Market” watch cap at Corralitos Market.

–Got decaf beans at Peet’s.

–Solar control panel said air temp 62, water temp 61 around 2 PM.

–Pool at 59 degrees around Noon.

–Got the buffer and belt sander mounted and running, with a long extension cord.

–Cleared up garage a little.

–Ordered a Blaze pizza online and picked up. Good, though soggy crust.

–Tried to loosen up front door lock button. Failed.

–Washer and dryer came. Did a load of laundry. They work fine.

–Watched SEAL Team. Complete soap opera.

–Submitted $5,526 claim to WageWorks for Medicare Part B premiums.

–Aztec Solar called, and will be in tomorrow as scheduled to install.

–Heard back Lee Elliott. Looking forward to corresponding.

–Got some donuts at Howard’s.

–Got cheap gas ($2.78) at the White Rock Arco.

–Made a loaf of “one-hour” bread. A little spongy/gummy, but tastes okay. Baked for 20 minutes at 425; probably would have been better for 30 at 450.

–Continued unpacking.

–Slowly unpacking.

–Looks like we might have left garage door open all night. Further, door lost its height setting and started jamming again. Fixed it (for now).

–All re-runs on CBS tonight.

–Geronimo and CJ moved us from La Selva Beach to Sacramento. Monumental undertaking. $2,050. Some artwork and a couple lamps left, but I’m not complaining.

–Aztec Solar is shut down for COVID-19, will call after April 7 to reschedule. Crap.

–Packed, packed, packed. No way all this stuff is going to fit in Geronimo’s truck.

–Michael Casserd came by to talk briefly about selling the house.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 9 AM.

–Totally wiped out.

–USPS didn’t deliver CVS drugs. Returned to post office “at customer request.” grrrr……..

*aaa.com
*apple.com
*amazon.com
*aa.com
*apple.com
*auctionsniper.com
*bofa.com
*bayfed.com
*ftb.ca.gov
*chase.com
*costco.com
*caremark.com
*dmv.ca.gov
*ebay.com
*etsy.com
*fedex.com
*google.com
*ihg.com
*myhealthonline.com
*mymedicare.gov//secure.ssa.gov
*oehandgrinders.com
*paypal.com
*pge.com [NOT POSSIBLE APPARENTLY. ACCOUNT TIED TO SERVICE ADDRESS.]
*raleys.com
*silverrewards.com
*wageworks.com [SUBMIT CLAIMS FOR 12/18–11/19 = $5,526.]

–Went to CVS (no cough drops), Top Donuts, and Nob Hill for Illy and Mini-Moos.

–Watched Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: pretty good.

–Drove back to LSB.

–Rain…..

–Took the Beemer to Sac. Record time (2:41) due to coronavirus.

–Egg BLT at Jasper’s, cream and frozen food at Bel Air. Picked up some Ethiopian beans at Black Sails house. Seem pretty lightly roasted (i requested mediumish). Aromatic, but not overwhelmingly.

–Took a shower.

–Packed a little more.

–Ordered some Black Sails beans for pickup tomorrow.

–Talked to Geronimo Movers; we’re moving out on the 19th.

–Did a little packing.

–Fujiyama came in. Finally, a keeper.

–Pizza and salad at Round Table.

–Read a book, packed a couple boxes in the shop, took a shower.

–Got tax paperwork together to send to Curtis Finton.

–Got almonds at Farm Fresh Produce, apples and oranges at Food Maxx.

–Marie for dinner.

–Got a nice haircut at Supercuts on 41st.

–Made pizza for dinner.

–Recycled stuff at Gray Bears.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 2 PM.

–Got some Kirkland Italian carbonated mineral water at Costco Santa Cruz.

–Turned on front and back sprinklers; checked briefly.

–Drove back to LSB; forgot to bring the bins.

–Had an El Patio sandwich at the beach.

–Painters came around 9 AM. I chose a color, later got a call from painter (at paint store) saying that color wasn’t available in eggshell finish, so he chose another that was.

–Signed up for auto-pay at Golden State Water. They said it would take 3 days to process the application.

–Drove to Sac.

–Dinner at Jack’s.

–Got Bagels at The Bagelry.

–Took a shower.

–Spent most of yesterday and today trying to find the best browser: Opera, Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge. No single browser will do both New Yorker and (anti-paywall) WSJ properly, so stuck with Chrome. Incredibly frustrating. [Edit] Figured it out: turn off the anti-paywall extension and the New Yorker is fine. Will leave it off until there’s an article of interest in WSJ.

–Packed up some random stuff for trip to Sac Monday.

–Went shopping at Target for Teddy Nourse card/gift, toiletries, etc.

–Stefan Keller handle came in, as did Lido grinder knob (installed successfully) and Horn and Hardart Automat coffee mug.

–Made bacon and eggs for dinner.

–Took Grace to dentist for crown.

–Shopping at Safeway.

–Drove back to LSB.

–Konosuke Fujiyama came in. Not too thrilling.

–Put in new hearing aid batteries around 9 AM.

–Failed to get garage photocell to work (re-wiring tripped circuit breaker). Gave up. Bought 3 bulbs at Home Depot with built-in photocells.

–Single garage door showed same thunk/stick problem as did double door. I fixed it the same way, though it took a little longer (had to turn adjustment screw a lot). All good now.

–Dinner at Jack’s.

–Really windy, messing up the pool.

–Inspector came and (1) said we pass; (2) noticed a gas-powered leaf blower on the trellis; (3) said we might want to paint the Comcast box for the next inspector. I did.

–Had a meat-eaters pizza at Blaze (pepperoni, meatball, onion). Not all that great.

–Left hearing quit around 6 PM.

–Drove to Sac with packed Beemer.

–While cutting the wires off the sensor (which turned out to be for the garage lights, not the (removed) alarm system light) I noticed a huge spark and learned I had tripped the circuit breaker–which controls the entire garage. I looked and looked and couldn’t find the breaker, until the third time I looked in the main panel and noticed one breaker not fully “on.” I switched all of them off and on, and we’re good. That could have been a disaster.

–Got chips and peanut butter cookies at Bel Air.

–Spent the morning switching from Chrome to Firefox. Chrome had serious issues with eBay/PayPal. All good now.

–Did a little packing for trip to Sac tomorrow.

–Made appointments with garage painter and Aztec Solar. Learned that house paint (touchup needed for roof inspection) is Kelly-Moore low-sheen Tawny.

–This is the second day I’ve been unable to complete a purchase at eBay; it hangs up trying to log into PayPal. Called eBay tech support, was told others are having this problem and it’s being investigated. I’m skeptical.

–Drove back from Sac. Stopped at Lunardi’s for a sandwich, Danish and cheese.

–Heard from Miner’s Village architectural inspector: need to remove dangling alarm light sensor and paint Comcast cable to pass. Will do.

–Re-filled garden toter with stuff pruned yesterday.

–Egg BLT at Jasper’s; salad at Jack’s.

–Martin came by for final walkthrough and payment. Done.

–Went to Callen Pool, talked to Martha (owner), got some muriatic acid.

–More pruning around pool, cleaned up a couple of small “pools” under the (turned off) waterfall.

–Lunch at Five Guys; dinner at Blaze Pizza.

–Drove to Sac with fully-packed Beemer.

–Lunch at Starbuck’s (ordered bacon sandwich, got sausage).

–Martin (?) coming tomorrow for final walkthrough and payment.

–Packed the Beemer for Sac tomorrow.

–Took a shower.

–Got a gargantuan egg salad sandwich for lunch at El Patio.

–Went shopping at Food Maxx.

–Put Rolex 1680 back together.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 5 PM.

–County inspector came and signed off on roof, after I found a battery for a non-working smoke alarm.

–Marie for dinner.

–Mowed the lawn, 3 times. Took me a while to figure out how high to raise the wheels and how to unblock the collection bag. Battery is good for (at least) two successive mowings.

–Went to Subway for lunch, then Woodcraft (a little disappointing), then Mac Knife, where I bought a nice bread knife.

–Marie for dinner.

–Roof done. Gave $100 tips to the two Oscars.

–Grace found and turned off a sprinkler timer in the garage that seemed to control the lawn sprinklers. I’ve looked at it several times; god knows why I didn’t turn it off.

–Pool filter pump seems to be working now.

–Drove to Sac with Grace and a loaded Beemer.

–After weeks of ozone, garage still smells. Also, garage door is acting up again. Crap.

–Packed the Beemer for Sac.

–Took apart the Rolex red 1680 to update the crystal. I thought originals had small chamfer, later had larger chamfer. Turns out (perhaps) originals had NO chamfer, later had small chamfer, service crystals have larger chamfer. No-chamfer crystals are big bucks on eBay. We’ll give it a shot.

–Made pizza for dinner.