I'm staying home today...

Colin developed a hacking cough on Friday and Laurie is off to the States for a PNWTSDFA meeting, so I have to skip church to make sure the little guy is kept medicated and comfortable. Coral declined to attend church without us. I'm covered for this week (I hope) and next week is Conference Sunday, so a hiatus should be OK.

I was greeted this morning by my annoyed neighbor, Steve. The Dog has been behaving herself lately, so Steve has had to find something else to be annoyed with us about.

He has decided that one of the bike wrecks in our backyard is His.

He claims to have had a bike "just like that one" stolen from his yard three months ago. As may be, there are still a few problems with claiming that this bike is the one he lost:

-His did not have "VENTURE" stickers on it. (somebody MUST have just pasted them on!!!)

-This particular wreck belonged to Taras and was given to me over a year ago. I tried to nail down with Taras just when that was and we figured it was sometime after his move from New West into Richmond. Couldn't narrow it down any further, I'm afraid. He gave it me after he won the new bike (that looked just like this one, except for the solid forks) and decided that he had worn this one out. Then, of course, Taras got hit by a car while riding the new one and I junked it for him. Now he rides the new CCM that ICBC (should have!) bought for him.

-This wreck still has the custom shifters I traded to Taras for a helmet. His wrench at Custom Cycle in New West may very well remember Taras, and this bike. It's nice to have corroborative witnesses.

I don't know what Steve's problem(s) is(are)...but I do know it is my Christian Duty to make peace if I can, or at least maintain a measure of civility and common courtesy. I may just go ahead and build Steve a new bike! May get together with Dave Ferguson across the way and see if He and I can collabarate on a new machine for Steve. I am guessing Steve's Landlord doesn't have property insurance...

We took the kids to the Bose Family Corn Maze last night. I love bicycles, and this was my first RELIGIOUS experience with one! The creators of the maze designed it so that "three rights equals a left" at the halfway point of the maze, and made one of the rights so subtle that no-one thought of going LEFT in the first place. We all got thoroughly lost. (isn't that against the Geneva Conventions, or something?) A nice young man on an ATB rode out and guided us all back to the exit. Verily, the BIKE was the WAY...

Had a trip to the Bellvue Temple yesterday. The wife did not gripe ONCE about my poor navigation, despite the fact that I missed an exit TWICE (one going to and one coming from). We nonetheless arrived on time and departed (almost) on time, and got home when expected. The kids were fine, except for Colin's aforementioned cough, which had kept him up a little the night before.

I got the deck re-coated -FINALLY!- and it has yet to be tested. Either the coating will hold out this winter, and we won't see any further leaks in the shop roof, or the leaks will get WORSE, and we'll have to lay down some more effective roofing material next year; after we tear out and re-do the shop ceiling! We've had some standing water on the deck from morning dew, and so far I haven't seen any leakage, not that a few puddles is any sort of test. I still have to finish re-painting the stairway and re-fix some sort of covering for the stairwell. Then it will be ALL DONE...until next year.

I fielded a call from WCB at work this week. WCB called work on Tuesday at 2:30; and with their usual efficiency, the front office got the message to me at 2:30 on Wednesday. I was informed by the WCB rep that they would have a decision for me Real Soon Now, but that the claim would likely/possibly/almost surely/ be refused. As I didn't MAKE the claim, and as HBC will likely eat the charges if it is refused, I am not terribly concerned about this...my back is almost 'back to normal' now; life goes on.