June 2026 Island Trip – Days 10 & 11

I’ve been in Irrigation Irritation hell for the last two days. How a valve/timer/filter setup sits quietly on a shelf for 7-months with no one even looking at with a sideways glance can ‘wakeup’ with stripped threads in beyond me. And the specific filter that needs replacing isn’t available on the Island 🙄. I even took the whole assembly to the lumber company today where they are smarter than me about finagling such things. He tried, smiled gently and suggested Home Depot. And to make matters worse, is it’s been wickedly hot the last two days. And yes, I’m just grumbling now. It’s the paragraph for it.

Yesterday, irrigation aside, I had my friend Mike over for dinner. We’ve decided we must be siblings via some time/space continum, though he’s young enough to be a kiddo of mine. He’s a very old soul, writes songs, and is smart as hell. My DH bought him a concise book on backgammon, and we have future plans to hang out, play, and sing around a campfire.

The landscaper showed up here this morning and weed whacked the hell out of everything. I am SO thankful. It just puts the finishing touch on things.

Late this afternoon, I accompanied my neighbor to the east to her daughter and SIL’s home where they were hosting a gathering of their friends, and all the associated kids. It was really nice. They have a big pond and there had to be 15-kids jumping from a high dock into the water, playing on paddle boards and rafts. A BBQ happened, and then wiffle ball, adults verses kids! The kids held their own!