“Life” has finally caught up with us. Most of our retirement days are like a vacation, but occasionally time has to be allotted for appointments, meetings, and household chores. We do pretty good at scheduling these things to allow for summer and winter travel, but in doing so, the “life” items tend to accumulate, particularly since we are away most of the winter and several weeks in the summer—our time has come! This week we were busy with church activities, club meetings, personal care appointments, medical appointments, and hosting friends for dinner; little time was available for golf and pickleball, though we each got in a few matches.

The shortening days accompanying changing seasons mean fewer butterflies, dragonflies, and wildflowers, and birds have not yet begun migrating. These are things I like photographing, so only a few photos have been made this week. The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are still here for another couple of weeks, and are swarming the feeders. A few photos of a dominating juvenile were made.

Over the course of the week, the bed platform from the RV has been rebuilt. As a consequence, the absence of a small air compressor and hose were noticed; someone apparently came into the garage while a door was open (I often leave one open while working in the back), and took it. Also, a set of miniature drivers was missing—lesson learned! The thin plywood skin was removed and glued and stapled to the frame—using a new air compressor and air staple gun. And then, a 1” x 2” board was screwed and glued to provide extra lateral support; my engineering education and practice is paying off, though structural engineering was not a strong suit. Kay and I reassembled the bed in the motorhome, and hope this is a final fix.

Kay has been cooking “sweets” to put in the freezer, and I have begun a new project: a 200-watt “brief case” solar system. Various parts, pieces, and electronics have been ordered (thanks, Amazon), and are being delivered almost daily. This means straightening up the shop side of the garage, an overwhelming task made easier by having moved the bed platform back to the RV.

A cold front is making its way into Arkansas, and will provide relief from the overbearing humidity the last few days. Maybe it’s time to go glamping and visit old friends!