grandson jaxson

grandson jaxson
grandson jaxson

granddaughter coraline

granddaughter coraline
granddaughter coraline

grandson mason

grandson mason
grandson mason

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

01-31MAY23 - Sultan, WA


First week of May is off and on rain.  We spend breaks between rain falls pressure washing deck and concrete patio.  Lesson learned, don’t wait ten years between cleanings😊



Tuesday, 09MAY, Dan spends most of day putting up the pool; usually don’t do this in May, but we may have 80s and 90s forecast this weekend into next week.  Wednesday gorgeous day all day sun and high 70s; Dan finishes assembling the pool and begins filling it.  Also rolls out solar array for heating pool water; hopefully tomorrow get pool pump hooked up.  Corrie applies water sealer to recently cleaned small deck; Dan mows.

Thursday Dan at food bank most of day; then heads home to finish hooking up pool to solar array for heating pool water and then mows; during day Corrie applies water sealer to one third of big front deck and gardens.

Friday AM, 12MAY, Dan heads to Sultan Food Bank; great sunshine all day; solar array raises pool temp from 60 degrees to 72 degrees; Dan starts packing truck for tomorrow’s trip to Pitre’s in Silverdale.

Early AM Saturday, 13MAY, we head to Edmonds ferry to Pitre’s in Silverdale for Mothers’ Day.  The Edmonds/Kingston ferry route is the most popular in WA (ie most vehicles/passengers) and has the largest two state ferries to handle the traffic.  Unfortunately one of the jumbo ferries had an engineering casualty, so there is one jumbo ferry & one medium size ferry on the run and we missed two ferry runs before we got on.  But as always spectacular views on a clear day!  BBQ hamburgers for dinner and rhubarb/strawberry pie with Rebecca, Raymond & grandboys; one game of cribbage before bed.




Sunday Mother’s Day; great sunshine but means near record high temps.  Corrie helps Rebecca planting and gardening all around exterior of house and two raised vegetable beds.  Raymond slow smokes/BBQs a chuck roast; great dinner; and then nothing more done.





Monday AM pack truck and off to the Kingston ferry; for once no wait to load ferry😊   Back to home mid-day  and temps already in low 80s (day sets record for earliest 90 degree day in Seattle by almost one weeks).   Corrie immediately starts hydrating garden; Dan starts pool pump pumping thru solar array, heats water up to 80 degrees, so Dan takes test swim.  Thank goodness we insisted on house being built with heat pump/AC.

Wednesday. 17MAY, mostly sunny day; Dan finishes sealing last of the big deck & misc small areas not already done.  Thursday mostly sunny; Dan at food bank most of day; Corrie spends most of day preparing for tomorrow’s visitors (Pitre’s, and their friends Johnny & Sebastian.

Friday (son Joe’s B-day); finish getting house/property ready for visitors.  Sround lunch time the pitre’s show-up, followed by their friends Johnny and Sebastian.  Their plan is after visiting with us, having lunch, is heading to Leavenworth for the weekend and Johnny’s B-day.  Of course the grandboys wanted in the pool asap; then BBQ burgers & salad for lunch, before all the guests hit the road to Leavenworth in two cars.  We will dogsit Rebecca & Raymond’s dog Roux.



Saturday; outdoor choirs while we still have sunshine; looks like dishwasher is kaput☹  Sunday, 21MAY, temps 15 degrees cooler, cloudy, and light rain off/on.  Rebecca & Raymond stop by to pick up their dog Roux.  During the day off to Lowes to purchase new dishwasher☹ Unfortunately no one able to install it until 01JUN.  Monday AM Corrie for girls’ day out with Jan Formisano.

Finished the month of May mostly doing choirs - pressure washing south side of shop/RV garage and our cargo trailer; Corrie gardening, gardening and gardening; mowing and more mowing; volunteering at food bank; spraying weeds taking over the driveways and edges of the lawn; etc.

For Memorial Day Corrie takes some of her home grown poppies to give-back to the military personnel passing out paper poppies by the shopping areas.  Last APR was fourth coldest on record; but MAY will be second warmest on record, even though most of month was cloudy and overcast?