January 10th a Tuesday

A cool start and again the day warmed nicely.
  Larry came by early so we went for a bike ride.  We made about 3 miles and he was ready to throw in the towel.  My deal with him is that when he has had enough I will ride back with him, regardless of the mileage.  It was funny, when we got back other riders were coming by to go, apparently they wanted to wait until the day warmed a bit, well I understand that, but my riding partner was keen this morning.  The early day starts originated by the riding group to avoid the heat of the day [a little later in the winter season] when it gets uncomfortable to ride, but not this early in the year.
  After getting back I did some consulting work with the neighbour.  He has been plumbing in a water softener for the last 2 weeks and having difficulty.  It turns out plumbing is not one of his strengths, LOL.  He had a piece of 1/2" tubing that wouldn't go on a fitting.  By chance I had a short piece of 5/8" tubing that fit it fine, so he took it with him to make sure he got the right one as he needs about 15 feet of it. He also had a small leak that he thought might be OK, but I think I convinced him to fix it.  The softener is installed in a galvanized metal cabinet on the rear of his trailer, but the dripping water will eventually create rot of the floor and possibly rust on some parts of the cabinet.
  Then I took apart a piece of my fence around the back patio.  It seemed to have developed a lean over the summer.  It is just posts on cement blocks with some plastic lattice work attached and the fence needed a bit of work to repair some wind damage.  I think it's OK now, but the first big storm will be the ultimate test.
  In the afternoon Marg did 3 loads of laundry and had them drying by the time I got back.  I went and played pool with 3 of the better players today.  I was on a winning team more than losing and played better than yesterday, so was happy.  We had a bit of fun in the process.  I like playing these guys as it forces me to try harder.
  Happy hour this afternoon was at Beth & Jim's place and was a much smaller group.  It was a nice day and people really take in outdoor activities on days like this.  Hiking is really popular and there are lots of paths and different terrain to give the hikers variety and quite a few people in the park here hike.  Supper tonight was some nice orange chicken and rice.  As luck would have it we still have some of Marg's shortbread cookies and they need to be eaten up, so a great dessert.  You know dessert in the desert.  LOL  Now that was punny!
  When we finished supper it was time for bingo.  There was a pretty good crowd tonight as the money ball is well over $200, so that made all the payouts larger.  Marg has not won at our park bingo yet this year and broke the drought tonight, winning the double dab or full card with a payout of $138.  Way to go darling.