01-31MAY25 - Sultan, WA

Thursday, may day, & Friday beautiful sunny days; lots of yard work yard work and some mowing.  And grandsons Jaxson and Mason get promoted to Yellow Belts at Jiu Jitsu!  Saturday wake up to cloudy and sporadic rain.  Early evening is Mason’s soccer, this is the semi-final for single elimination tournament that started with eight teams two months ago.

Sunday afternoon head to Mason’ soccer game; tournament is part of USYS Presidents Cup and USYS National Championship Series.  The US Youth Soccer National Championships, is presented by New York Life, and elimination games played every weekend in yearlong series of competitions for boys and girls teams in multiple age brackets.  Teams earn their way from the top teams in their state to the regional championship tournaments.

Mason’s has been playing qualifying games each weekend against teams from all over the Seattle area.  This is a semi-final game, if they win this and the final, the team goes to the next level of competition against statewide teams for the state title.  Unfortunately they lost 3 to 2 on unbelievable last second goal.  Opposing player was thirty yards from endline on left sideline unmarked; long pass to his feet, traps ball and launches rocket to far upper corner of goal – GOOAAL!!!  All parents were stunned and everyone broke into applause and cheers (even our team parents but not too loud).

Sunday (May the Force Be With You?), more yard work and lawn tractor repairman shows up; this is same guy who fixed mower two years ago; Dan found him by luck and he is only one on internet does all work at your house. Originally he had no room for Dan until end of May, but someone cancelled and we benefited.  Via internet he told Dan problem was carburetor float was allowing fuel to flood cylinder.  So new carburetor installed; then oil and filter were changed to be safe. Four quarts of oil/gas drained from two quart system!

Monday (cinco de mayo) great weather; Corrie has medical and runs errands; Dan continues outside choirs and then fires up newly fixed rid-em mower.  Unfortunately, same problem arises – new carburetor floods cylinders, mower dead.  Early dinner at mexican restaurant Mi Tierra.  Wednesday, 07MAY, cloudy; Corrie has girl’s day out with Jan Formisano.  Dan cleans barn and gets another pre-cancer dermatology treatment; more mowing☹

Thursday AM Dan off to Cardio everything is ok.  In afternoon mower repairman comes-by and makes free repair (including free carburetor) to lawn tractor.  Friday we load truck and pack up Rocket and head to the Pitre’s in Silverdale for Mother Day weekend; after arrival not much done.

Saturday mid-day Dan, Rebecca and Mason head to Jaxson’s soccer tryout for premier team.

Then off to a “pacific island” celebration at an event center in east Bremerton.  Hawaiian sno-balls; whole roast pig, and other island food.

Back to house before heading to Loft at Latitude 47 in Poulsbo for Mother’s Day dinner for Oma and Rebecca.  Back to house to collapse.  Sunday (mom’s day) early breakfast, pack-up truck, catch ferry and drive home; rain arrives soon after our return and not much done.

Monday 12MAY, Corrie runs errands and then works in veggie garden.  Dan fixes major leak in irrigations system and then starts mowing.

Sunday, 18MAY, rain stops early AM and this will be last clear day for a week.  So nothing but outdoor projects.  Big one is trimming bottom of all the Leland Cypress Corrie planted almost fifteen years ago.  Later Dan gets half the big yard mowed.  Monday (joe’s b-day) little rain AM; not much done until sun, comes back and then back to yard work and little more mowing.

Friday beautiful day spent on outdoor maintenance & small repair to ride-em mower.  One drawback to weather is cottonwood tree seeds are being released☹  The seeds are infinitesimal and surrounded by “fluff” and float down to accumulate everywhere. And then float thru open doors into house, RV garage and sheds!

Friday, 24MAY, glorious weather.  Dan rounds up miscellaneous metal in garage, barn and shop to take to recycle center.  Few years ago most cities had small private business barely making profit taking small quantities of scrap metal and paying you pennies.  Now they are all gone and municipal dumps only take larger pieces of steel or aluminum.   And they won’t take copper because it is often stolen.  Dan found one large facility thirty mile away that took any quantity.  And since he had copper - his driver license and picture was entered into data base; total "profit" was $28.00.

Monday (Memorial Day) rain in AM, sun returns after lunch; little yard work done and then BBQ’ing ribs for dinner.  Tuesday great weather for yard work and mowing.  Dan sees cardio clinic for pacemaker check out.  Mows most of the front yard (mower acting up)☹  Wednesday, 28MAY, first 80 plus degree day in more than eight months.  At lunch Dan heads to Poulsbo to watch Jaxson middle school football team.  Jaxson is seventh grade so he plays on JV and only gets ten plays at end of Varsity game (varsity is eighth graders).  Then catch the ferry home to Corrie and Rocket.

Thursday late morning Dan heads to southcenter mall in Tukwila for a luncheon gathering of some of his Academy Classmates that meet every two months.  Another great time.  Then long drive of home to miss dinner and small bit of mowing.

Saturday, last day of May, rain, after lunch sun returns, last bit of mowing, and then start on repairing spare wheelbarrow.

01-30APR25 - Sultan, WA

Tuesday (april fool’s) rain, Wednesday more rain and not much done beside medical and chores.  One medical issue for Dan is that he has precursor signs of skin cancer.  So on Wednesday he got preventative treatment on his bald head.  Thursday Dan makes mistake of going outside without hat, even though cloudy day the UV rays start to reactivate the treatment and Dan runs for cover because of the burning sensation.

Friday, 04APR, beautiful day; first day this year for mowing and continuing battle with invasive blackberries.  Dan goes to start rid’em mower to mow; mower won’t start.  Dan changes fuel and air filter and plugs; battery is dead.  But mower won’t start with craftsman charger/starter.  Dan guesses battery must have internal damage; Dan buys new battery and all is solved.

Saturday great weather!  Early AM Dan heads to kids/grandkids house he so can drive all of them to SeaTac airport for a one week vacation in Sonoma, AZ.  Then he heads back to our house with their dog Roux, we will dogsit for next week.  Still very sunny so Dan finishes mowing.  Sunday AM Dan off to Monroe Evergreen Urgent Care because he has had concerning cough for three days now; picks up meds and heads home.  Dan goes to RV show at fairgrounds.  RV show gets smaller and smaller each and not even worth going to☹

Monday AM Dan takes Rocket to Pilchuck Vet to check status of Rocket’s wounds from 25MAR.  Wounds are doing well and no more check-ups needed.  After lunch Dan see’s primary care and discusses what next in regard to pacemaker/heart issues.

Thursday, 10APR, after lunch Dan gathers up Roux and her stuff and catches a ferry back to Pitre/Roux’s house to spend the night.  That way tomorrow AM Dan can go to SeaTac and pick-up the rest of the Pitre’s returning from their trip to Sedona, AZ, and drive them to their house.

Friday AM Dan heads to SeaTac and picks up all four Pitre’s and their luggage and back to their house in Silverdale.  After a quick bite of lunch gets into the Toad and heads home to Corrie and Rocket.  Saturday not much done.

Sunday & Monday & Tuesday & Wednesday & Thursday are beautiful days; 3 days of mid 70 temps; lots of outdoor yard work and mowing.  Friday, 18APR, AM off to Pitre’s for Easter weekend; unpack truck, not much done just last minute shopping for Easter.

Saturday more shopping and lots of yard work by Corrie & Rebbecca.  Raymond smokes four pounds of chuck roast on the Traeger for excellent dinner.  Rebecca and Raymonds’s friends Johnny, Sebastian and John’s sister Samantha show-up after dinner.  For reminiscing around the camp fire.  Excellent day!

Easter Sunday start with reduced egg hunt for the grandboys in AM.  And rest of day spent relaxing while preparing early Easter dinner (oven roasted ham).  Then off to Kingston ferry line and one hour wait for next boat, and home.

Friday, 25APR, glorious day!  Corrie runs errands and then gardens.  Dan continues work on cleaning backyard cedar fencing and adding edging strips to bottom of fence to make weed-whacking easier.  Then Dan heads to barn to start cleaning it after almost three years of neglect; cob-webs everywhere from ceiling to floor.  Saturday more great weather, lots of tree trimming in morning, and then Dan heads off to Mason’s soccer game.  It was quarterfinal for tournament; ended in a tie and Mason’s team won in a shoot-out.  Semi’s next week.

Sunday AM off to Monroe Home Show; pretty disappointing mostly national companies, almost no local contractors.  Cooler and cloudy which makes heavy tree trimming “easier”.  Monday good weather replaced by clouds.  Last time Dan used mower it died and Dan believes it is a carburetor issue, so he takes carburetor assembly off ride-em mower.  Can’t see problem.

Wednesday (last day of April) AM Dan heads to Silverdale to see Jaxson playing on middle school football team.  Enroute stops in Port Townsend to see friend and CGA classmate Al Hughes and partner Shauna.  Then on to Jaxson football game at his Middle School.

Jaxson is on JV team, so first two hours is full game for the Varsity.  Followed by each JV team (home and opponent) getting ten offensive plays per team in succession (20 total).  Sun was out in full force making for a long afternoon into early evening.  Finally catch a ferry and home.