It’s been one of those days where I have no idea what time I got up, but it must have been early because every time I look at the clock it’s a full two hours earlier than I feel it rightly should be based on how much I’ve gotten done!

Today was a Town Day. There were a bunch of really good sales starting and a number of items that have been on my to buy list were heavily discounted. So the first thing I did this morning was revise my shopping lists and make sure I had everything in the truck that I needed to bring to town. This included a 5-gallon water jug and a couple of packages for the post office that I spent quite some time preparing.

I would have been ready to leave by about 7:45, but I wanted to wait for the post since I was expecting a cheque. Thankfully, the cheque was in my box at 9:30 and I was able to leave at 9:45.

I wanted to go to Assiniboia by way of Willow Bunch because my Co-Op equity cheque would be waiting for me there. It was obviously a detour (an extra 30KM), but the Assiniboia pick up date was on Wednesday, when I didn’t need to go to town. It was much cheaper fuel-wise to detour to Willow Bunch this morning than to just go to Assiniboia for the cheque and no other purpose on Wednesday. Plus, it would give me a chance to take highways 36 and 13, which I don’t often have an excuse to travel and they are scenic!

The detour was really worthwhile since there was a $101 cheque waiting for me! I get a refund based on the previous year’s purchases and I bought a lot of building materials (my roofs) as well as propane in the colder months.

I got to Assiniboia around 10:45 and my first stop was obviously the bank. Then, I went to Peavey Mart to pick up paint for the interior of my shed ($29.99 for 10L instead of $39.99), a paint tray ($0.99 instead of $1.49), a fluorescent light fixture ($19.99 instead of $29.99), and two cans of Rustoleum Leak Seal ($8.99 each instead of $12.99).

Next stop was for fuel so I wouldn’t get caught like last time! Fuel is at $1.08 right now, which is better than the $1.30 I was paying in the fall! We were apparently below a dollar while I was away!

After fuel, I popped into the Co-Op home store since they were advertising a 75′ 14-gauge extension cord for just $34.57, about 55% lower than the best price I’ve ever seen for that product! Small hiccup when I came in, their 14-gauge 75′ extension cords were marked at $54.57. They didn’t come up in the computer as being the product advertised on sale, even though they clearly were. No worries, we’re all part owners of the Co-Op, so the manager tends to rule in the customer’s favour. She figured that the one on the shelf was equivalent and gave me the discount after looking at a few other products on the shelf. She was very impressed that I could correctly identify all the cord gauges from 20′ away. 🙂

14-gauge is still a little light, but I can string two 75′ sections and have no voltage drop on a full 20A load, so that’s good enough for my needs. I don’t have power to my outbuildings yet, so I rely on extension cords. I have one running to the cabin for the freezer and washer and I need two to get to the shed and the front part of the property for the mower. So I’ve been needing an extra 14-gauge cord since I got the freezer and have been cautiously making do with a 16-gauge one.

Next, I dropped my truck between Home Hardware and the post office. I went to the latter to mail my packages and found the prices surprisingly reasonable, although it was twice as expensive to get a tracking number for a US parcel as it was to send it without one (I took a chance and opted for the cheaper option).

Home Hardware was my next stop for some self-sealing silicone tape for a plumbing repair. When I came out, it was only 11:40!!! I was ravenous by this point and decided to just go to Andy’s for the buffet. At $11.50, it’s really the best value in town and I knew I could get in and out quickly. I pretty much just had pizza and broccoli. The server remembered how much I love their broccoli and told me as I sat down that it would be right out. I can’t believe she remembered that! They put sesame oil on it. I should try that at home.

My final stop of the day was the food store since they were having their 10 for 10 canned good sales. Those are always super good value, but you have to buy 10 to get the deal. I have enough beans, chickpeas, ham, and spaghetti sauce to get me through the summer! I’m eating a lot of spaghetti sauce again now that I’m doing the zucchini ‘noodles’ I discovered last year. At $1 for a large tin (Hunt’s brand, which is excellent!), it’s just not worth making my own sauce anymore (something I used to spend a day slaving over the stove doing).

Groceries packed into the truck, I headed home, where I pulled in at just past 1:00, just a little over three hours since I left! I’m telling you, time stopped at some point today!

First project when I got home was to get on the roof and apply another very generous layer of Rustoleum. I used up the whole can and sprayed over a wider area. While I was up there, I trimmed back some branches that were rubbing against my front window last night and actually woke me up at one point.

The next project was to install the light fixture in the shed. This was really easy, to my immense surprise. I just had to install two eye hooks into the ceiling (thankfully, I had some), attach chains to them, insert the fluorescent bulbs in the fixture, and then hang the fixture from the chains.

It’s so great to finally have a decent light source in that dank and mousy cave! My friend Charles is going to install a window for me in a bit, but I know that natural light won’t be enough. The fixture plugs into an extension cord and there is a string for turning it on and off that I can easily reach.

I knew that painting was going to be a huge job because of the rough wood and all the nooks and crannies, so I just wanted to start today. I don’t care about a nice well-feathered paint job and any runs.

I used EcoCoat paint, a recycled product made in Alberta. It’s a low VOC paint, so it doesn’t have strong fumes, but it smells terrible. I am very impressed with the coverage, however, although I don’t think I’m going to have enough! 🙁 The label says $34.99, but there was a sign saying that the price has increased to $39.99.

I started with the roller to get as much on as fast as I could and then followed up with the brush until I ran out of steam.

The difference is already phenomenal! They had several colours and I decided that lighter would be better than darker, but that I didn’t want white or an actual colour. So this beigey ‘birch’ was perfect. I have a lot of work to do this weekend, but I want to try to get in a couple of hours each day of painting in the late afternoon.

Then, it was time for one last project. I have a small leak in a shut off valve for my water heater that is turning into a dramatic issue (mould starting). Normally, I would try to fix the bad valve and if that failed, I would cut it out and replace it. But there is literally no room to work and the IDIOT who put it in did so backwards so there is no hope of getting at it to try to at least repair it!

The valve is a bypass that separates the water heater from the rest of the water system. This way, you don’t have to fill the water heater with potable antifreeze in the winter. I blow out my lines now, so I decided that I didn’t care if I couldn’t use my valve and I wrapped the whole thing in a giant wodge of self sealing tape. Don’t try this at home folks, it was desperate measures!

I have no idea if this will be enough. It was very hard to get the right tension on the tape. I have half of the roll left to add more if needed. We shall see.

Something I bought last year made this job a wee bit easier. I can’t believe I waited this long in my life to get one!

Then, it was time for a shower, a beer, and a break. Now, I’m thinking about dinner. It’s Friday and so I may be having a hot dog… in a corn tortilla. 🙂