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Dump PassThe art of losing isn't hard to master; Tuesday, October 9, 2001 Today was the last day for the dump pass we got in the mail last month. This was a flyer from the city, which entitles the bearer to a free load at the dump: yard waste, trash, anything you want except toxic waste. So getting there was the priority today. Jack worked on the trailer, sending me for some hardware he needed to replace. That little trailer has helped out so much, and paid for itself many times. It's not surprising it needs some maintenance now. Good thing we had a nice sunny day! We got a phone call from one of our landlords, Dan Ross -- his dad and brother would be coming by to check out the furnace problems we'd emailed them. They turned up around noon and conferred with Jack in the basement. We'd turned on the furnace for the first time on Sunday, after our upstairs neighbor asked us to turn up the heat. (We have the only thermostat.) We had to tell her we hadn't even turned it on yet! But Jack found that the blower kept cutting off after only a few minutes, no matter the thermostat setting. Turned out that the accellerator in the thermostat needed to be adjusted. This is a small auxilliary heater within the thermostat that preheats the switch, preventing overshooting. Mr. Ross is very knowledgable, but very chatty. They tried to leave several times, but kept on talking.
H--- came home when we were loading brush that was cut last week, and while Jack was using the hedge trimmer to whack back the boxwood shrub by our porch stairs. Once again, when he gets started he doesn't want to stop! I had to restrain him: "Once we cut, we can't put it back on!" So H--- helped us get the yard waste and trash into the trailer, and came with us on our expedition. The only actual "junk" we had to take was a broken exercise bike left in our basement, and a cardboard box of random items that Jack decluttered while sorting out the workbench area down there. The rest was clean green. It was difficult finding our way to the south transfer station; the signage for 99 south isn't too clear, and I didn't quite understand where Jack meant to go when he was asking for directions. We found it, though, and didn't lose the tarp on the way. We presented our pass, and were waved through to the big building with the pit of hell inside. What a stench! After we dumped the non-plant material, we pulled ahead to the place where they collect the yard waste. Jack folded the tarp, while H---- and I threw the branches and clippings over the side. I think they have a tractor trailer under there, and take it away periodically to have the contents chipped into mulch.
On our way home (and we took a more sensible route), we returned the trailer to the storage unit. Jack wanted to find a park close to the water that he had walked to previously, Lowman Beach Park. It's a small place with access to the water. We walked around a bit, and I pointed to Lincoln Park to the south. "Have you been there yet?" No, he hadn't. We drove the few blocks to Lincoln Park and parked (!). There were many cars waiting for the ferry. We walked down to the beach, used the facilities, then walked along the beach to the pool (closed for the season). Up the bluff (steep but doable), then followed the bluff trail. We emerged at the play area, which has one of those cable things you can slide on. Not clear, huh? It's a cable about fifty feet long, that has a swing-type deal hung from it. It slides down the wire and bounces off a tire shock absorber at the end. This was fun for all of us, but you really need to stand up on it if you are a person of size -- otherwise, the chains holding up the board cut in to your hips painfully! What an efficient, fun day! I'm glad we actually used the dump pass; it was a good incentive for yard work. Dinner was dal, rice, and potatoes simmered in spinach sauce. |
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