Jerrie’s been thinking about the last few entries he’s made, and believes he’s not really providing anything of value by narrating what he does every day. Seriously, who really cares what Jerrie does anyway? I certainly do not find it informative and I’m intimately involved with his every move … everything he thinks … the things he sees, smells, feels, hears, and tastes. It’s pretty pedestrian stuff, believe me.

Take today, for instance … he was jarred rudely from a deep sleep at 10:00 am.  I mean, really! So he’s retired. Big deal! That’s no reason for him to be asleep at that time of morning. He should be up doing “stuff” by then. Perhaps even dressed, for God’s sake. The phone call was from a guy in Florida who wanted to get registered for the USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808) reunion next October. Turns out that Jerrie, in his infinite wisdom, raised his hand at the last reunion when someone asked who was willing to step up and arrange the next one. Rumor has it that Diane kicked him under the table a wee bit too late which means she had to be involved, too. So, now he’s the clearing house for potentially 600 ex-sailors who, at one time prior to 1973, were stationed aboard DD-808. I bet he’s going to run out of minutes on his cell phone since, again in his infinite wisdom, he dumped the house phone. Nice going, Jerrie. But, it’s done, and he must move forward.

Once awake, and infused with a bit of caffeine, he started responding to verbal commands and was pointed at some tasks designated for his attention this day. Diane makes lists, you see. Since there was the possibility of rain today, it was imperative that he ensure that he replaced the silicone sealant around the windows from which he removed it three days ago. He said he took it out because it was no longer adhered to the window frame and it “looked crappy.” He managed to do that and it appears to be sufficient to deter random raindrops from gaining entrance but the general consensus is that it still “looks crappy.” He said he could clean it up with mineral spirits as soon as his hands recover from the abuse they suffered today.

While apply the sealant, he was interrupted by a FedEx driver who stopped by the house to deliver a package that he wasn’t expecting until later in the afternoon. It was the replacement turn signal unit he’d ordered last Friday. It arrived wicked fast. Once he determined it was the proper item, he went to work installing it and managed to get it done without breaking anything else. He even cleaned up the wiring that was hanging all over around the steering wheel. Most importantly, he soldered the wires onto the little calmpy things that used to be connected to the starter button he installed because the inanition quit powering the starter for some reason. To resolve that, he ran two new wires to the starter then, when the switch fell off, just turned the ignition on and held the wires together until it started. It’s a wonder someone didn’t turn him in for trying to steal it.

All this RV work is to get it ready for a trip to Hood River next week to participate in Hoodfest. That’s the annual gathering of old Winnebagos at the Hood River County Fair Grounds where they have the Blossom Festival. It’s a gala affair that Jerrie & Diane have attended for the past two years. The first time they stayed at a nearby bed & breakfast. Last year they stayed in a tent. This time they’re going to stay in their very own Winnebago. According to the Winnebago Leader, this represents a steady downward spiral in the quality of accommodations. To continue ensuring the RV is road worthy, Jerrie is still on the hook for getting Diane’s TV installed. She doesn’t go any where without her TV. So, he needs to get a new HiRes antenna for the top of the Winnie to replace the one he summarily ripped off and threw away thinking it wouldn’t be of any use. Turns out, however, that this old antennas apparently pull in channels for the new digital TVs pretty good. I guess the joke is on him, right? Now he must replace it because not all camp grounds have cable.

The next item he’s waiting on is the new awning. All that’s coming is the material because all the mechanical aspects of the old awning work just fine. In preparation for this, he removed all 1700 screws that hold the top portion to the RV and threw them all away because they were mostly rust. Fortunately, he had a box of screws, with handy rubber gaskets attached, to replace them. He wire brushed the entire mount and replaced it. When he was done, there was only one screw left. Lucky him. Hopefully the awning will arrive tomorrow so he can get that task done then he can work on the brakes.