Well, my wife's unexpectedly long stay here (four nights and three full days) came to a close late this afternoon when she headed away around 5:10 p.m., saying that she would be back on Monday.
She spends most of her free time (i.e., her non-working days) somewhere in Vancouver ─ such is my sorry marriage.
At least I will be able to nap whenever I desire, and I will also be able to use our bedroom for some exercising when I need the privacy.
I was able to get to bed last evening by 10:00 p.m., for my younger brother was not yet home from wherever he had bused to do his drinking. I was still awake when I am quite certain that I heard him arrive home, for he typically slams the front door.
But I slept fairly well ─ I must have needed the sleep. I never felt awake and curious enough to be checking the time until something like 1:40 a.m., so that was when I opted to rise so that I could put work into the post I have on the go at one of my six hosted websites.
My wife was still up, and was seated at my computer. However, she vacated the room while I was using the bathroom.
We never spoke, and she smartly got herself to bed at last.
I worked until I had supplied the targetted amount of content, by which time it was already after 4:00 a.m. But a return to bed was not yet nigh ─ I had an errand to run.
Yesterday morning my brother had written me out a cheque for half of the annual utilities that were due that day ─ a total billing of $1,782.
Due to COVID-19 hardships, the government had said that they were waiving the due date, and people could take up until July 2 to make good on their billing. However, that is right around when our annual property taxes are due, and there is no certainty that the due date for those will also be pushed back by three months.
And so rather than risk being penalized by the two monstrous payments together, we had both concluded that it would be best to be done with this earlier billing.
So I had written him out a cheque for the full amount yesterday morning, and he later delivered it to city hall himself as has been his wont since we began buying our home back in June 2002.
I wrote the full cheque payment because the house is registered in my name alone ─ it was to our benefit back then that this be so.
Anyway, my chequing account would probably be able to handle the full payment, but it was far more prudent that I be certain of that by getting my brother's cheque deposited into my financial institution's ATM as soon as possible.
I do not drive, so that would entail a walk over to the Coast Capital Savings building (Google map) neighbouring the King George SkyTrain Station almost a mile from here.
And so it was that not too very long after 4:00 a.m., I was off on that rather chilly walk.
Along the way, I stopped in at an elementary school to do some pull-ups on the gymnastics-style rings in its playground. In the darkness, I did not notice that the equipment had been taped off to bar people from using any of it. The barrier was similar to police tape, but it was only strung about at ankle level.
I broke through the tape without even realizing it was there.
I have not done pull-ups there in too many weeks ─ I was pathetically weak. I think that I am going to have to try and be more regular despite the restrictions now in place due to social distancing and self-isolation.
After the exercise break of four sets, I then continued on my errand and was back home after ensuring that my full walk was no less than two miles, and it was not yet 5:00 a.m.
I spent some further time here at my computer winding down from my outing, and then got back to bed around 5:30 a.m.
I was up again for the morning around three hours later. My brother got up an hour later, but did not emerge from his bedroom until 10:00 a.m.
I soon joined him for some T.V., putting our T9 Android 8.1 TV Box into operation to that end. There was a short documentary ─ under a half hour in duration ─ that I wanted to watch via the YouTube 'app' that I have downloaded in our Android TV Box: "All My Mothers" -The Story of Yehudith Kleinman.
My brother groused initially, but he soon enough got caught up in the woman's story.
Yehudith's story began as a six-year-old Italian-born Jewish girl who was living in Milan with her mother and grandmother during World War Ⅱ. Then one day, her mother and grandmother had to pack up some luggage and report with Yehudith to the Nazis.
And Yehudith was never to see her mother and grandmother again.
That's all I will say. I found my eyes burning a few times as the Yehudith of today told her story.
My brother and I watched T.V. until 1:00 p.m., then he sought some bed rest before eventually rising to drive off to a perform some errands, including getting in a walk at a park.
While he was resting ─ my wife had risen by this time ─ I went out to our backyard toolshed for some exercising. By the time I returned into the house, my brother had risen from his rest and gone.
After a meal, I eventually sought some bed rest of my own. I almost dropped into a nap, I think; but my wife's cellphone ─ which she had left in our bedroom ─ began ringing and ruined everything for me.
And I soon enough got up. I don't think my wife even knew that I had sought the nap, for she was busy downstairs cooking.
Soon enough, my brother was back ─ not too much ahead of my wife's departure. I did not know that she was going to be leaving us until I had come downstairs from my rest and seen her dressed for the public (as opposed to wearing her housecoat).
If I am going to have to sit up late with my brother while operating our Android TV Box, then maybe I will seek some further bed rest.
And with that said, I will here take my leave.
Oddly, I am rather missing my wife's presence....
Oddly, I am rather missing my wife's presence....
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