World Cruise Day 179: Feb 26 – Cruise the Java Sea
Java (tomorrow), sea day, sea day, then Brunei, Malaysia, sea day, then the Philippines. That is as far as Vit and I have gotten comparing shore excursions. You’d think on a sea day there would be all the time in the world, but I had Frankie all day today doing lessons and educational activities – Madam had virtual meetings with her reps back home most of the day, leaving her too tired for trivia games tonight. And Vit had Nicholas training … and trying to find out what his odd mood this morning was about. Vit says he thinks he knows but it will take more than one day to help him. Since he said no more than that I must deduce that it is some male thing or other.
Today we sailed the Java Sea. There was a history lecture on how Dutch merchant ships frequently traveled this area in the 17th and 18th centuries. We also had rijsttafel with the evening meal, a rice dish adopted by the Dutch from this area and still popular in The Netherlands today. I’m growing a little concerned at how often Vit is resorting to antacids. I’m not sure if it is stress, diet, or both. I do know he needs to lay off the vodka when he is with the men in the evenings, at least until his stomach settles down. This stuff he does for Dylan may also be part of the problem. I don’t know what kind of information gathering he is doing but it must be important if Dylan … no, I’m not getting involved with that unless asked to. Vit or Dylan will say something if I can help.
While Frankie did his lessons I went over my notes, filed the postcards from the last couple of days, continued to organize the pictures I am uploading, tried to decide what to put in the trunk and what I will need to carry on the return flight, and took care of family correspondence.
Some good news, some not, and some simply is what it is. The flu is still going strong. Christine wrote that they even closed several public schools in Florida trying to break the chain of infections. I think her intentions were to let me know that she was keeping Reggie and Benji at home, not to control them, but to control them from being exposed to the flu. Reggie gets it but is still morose. Benji is oblivious but seems intentionally so because he doesn’t like people asking him, or those he is with, about Lena. Social media is helping but only so much. The kids are feeding off themselves a bit. They are also trying to find ways to break curfew for a meet up. It caused the flu to spread in families that had been infection free up until that time and it is that situation that finally brought about Reggie’s compliance. He became more worried for Derrick than he did for his social life.
The news we get on board says that for whatever reason this flu is much more vicious in the States, Canada, and Mexico than it was/is in other countries. Some say it is because too few people got the flu vaccine this year, and of those that did about half the vaccines seem to be ineffective which means there may have been an additional mutation to the virus by the time it made it to the Western Hemisphere. The science is still out on that, but it seems to be a pretty big deal whatever the cause.
I got online and was shocked to see the statistics. The homeless population, pregnant and nursing mothers, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, schools (secondary and post-secondary schools the worst), and staff at medical facilities are all being hit hard. Congregate living facilities like residential mental health facilities, prisons, and juvenile detention centers are also suffering a higher than normal infection rate in their staff and residents. The fatality rate has leveled off, but infections are still high and of those infected there are a higher percentage of complications than in a normal flu season. They aren’t calling this a pandemic yet, but some people wonder why they are holding back from giving it that designation.
I emailed Angelia that when she gets a chance to make another store run, to make sure and pick up a couple of large bottles of hand sanitizer, bleach tablets, and some OTC drugs for me. She said she’ll add it to the list but right now that is all in short supply. That gave me something to think about and, I don’t want to over react, but I may buy some and send it home when we send everything else. It is on my list to talk with Vit about.
And on another topic, out of the blue today I got an email from Charlie saying he was going to paddle my behind when I get home. Nothing else, just that. So of course I emailed back and I asked what in the world for. He pinged me for a chat and we were both lucky that I had the time and the connectivity to make it happen. When he told me why he was “upset” I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. Some of the family are now hooked on estate sales, secondhand stores, etc. and he is being dragged this way and that to help out. I told him not my problem, they need to learn to pace themselves and buy their own blasted enclosed trailer. Well that got him laughing so I know he was only joking. And Charlie being Charlie he has started another income stream of finding things and reselling them.
He also told me that he continues to find things that need to be taken care of at the house.
“Vettie, it is a bigger mess than we thought. I was measuring for some linoleum in the utility room and found dry rot in the floor where one of the renters didn’t report a leak or clog or something and the floor was left damp for too long. The flashing on the vent for the dryer stack also pulled loose and during the last rain the leak was bad enough that the ceiling in the master bedroom fell. I might not be saving as much cash as I thought I was going to despite buying the used stuff.”
All I could think of was the mess. “The entire ceiling?!”
“No, just a piece that runs between the closet and the master bath. That can’t wait and Tal is going to have a guy he knows make the repair with some spare pieces of greenboard he has at the shop. We’re lucky it wasn’t an entire sheet that came down, but he isn’t going to put any drywall mud on it until he is sure that nothing is going to mold. He said he’ll get up there and spray the rafters with bleach and then Kilz over the beams after they are dry.”
Taking the bull by the horns I asked, “Charlie, I need to know … really need to know … are we fighting a losing battle with the Pembroke House?”
“Huh? Nah. Didn’t mean to give you that impression. I know it sounds bad but most of it is cosmetic. I won’t deny it is a mess but its mostly a cosmetic mess. Mom refused to let the house be updated … you know how she was. She liked it the way it has always been, and Dad barely remembered to wear matching socks so it didn’t bother him to live like that until he got a taste of something different when y’all moved to Jacksonville.” Then he asked, “You having second thoughts?”
“No. Of course not. I just don’t want Vit nor I walking in blind.” I told him what Vit said about his carpentry skills and being willing to learn what he didn’t currently know.
“That’ll help sure enough. And Tal and I are going to go over the place again and make sure nothing else got missed. The delayed maintenance and upgrading are the priorities. I’ll pick Tal’s brain on what he thinks can be done about the utility room floor. It isn’t a load bearing wall or on a floor joist, just a place where the washing machine used to sit. I know a couple of the windows won’t stay up, but I’m more concerned about making sure all the windows close and lock. The place will be livable when you two get here, it just won’t be the Ritz.”
“I’m not looking for it to be Charlie, I just want to have some idea where we need to start first. This tells me the wallpaper is going to have to wait until we get the other stuff finished. What about the landscaping and trees? And is the well still working? Can you find out how much it is going to cost to keep the peroxide system filled? After everyone moved out, we could go six weeks between peroxide fills, sometimes eight during the winter after Poppa had a separate ag well drilled.”
“I forget you did all that for Dad and Mom.”
Mentally shrugging I said, “When the last of you all moved out and Poppa just …”
Charlie did his own mental shrug and acknowledged, “Yeah, he slowed down. I guess none of us were really paying attention to how much. I’ll have Tal look and see if anything needs to be cut back from the house. I know the trees on the property line are pretty rough but might just leave them until last. Angelia swears if the Grangers’ goats get out again she’s going to start shooting. They mowed down an entire row of something and she was hot … I mean hot. Hey, before I forget, we did make sure the gas tank was filled already before prices went crazy. Derrick insisted and it was a good thing. But I’ve got it turned off to the house right now and the tank is padlocked and so is the shed it’s in. Tal said the electric system is still good except for a couple of those security lights out by the road, but that’s something else that is going to have to wait.”
“Just send me the list. Vit has surprising talents … I didn’t know it, but his degree is in mechanical engineering … and that he was hired for maintenance, only it morphed into more of a jack-of-all-trades kind of crew position.”
That gave him something to think about and then we broke off because it was late/early back home and between laundry and everything else, my own evening was planned out. Frankie is now in bed in his cabin and Vit and Nicholas should be done for the evening soon as well. I need to clean up the remaining mess Frankie and I left in the living area. And I need to put some balm on the bruise I can feel on the back of my shoulder. I sparred with another woman today and she was better than she let on. I was trying not to hurt her and she was trying to prove herself. She tossed me using a jiu jitsu move which I wasn’t expecting. Vit tried to hide he was upset but I told him not to be; that it proved his point that I was getting complacent only having him to spar with. Yes, it was a bit of a cheat on her part – it wasn’t supposed to be an MMA match – but it taught me a lesson. Better to learn a lesson that way and before you really could be hurt by it.
Java (tomorrow), sea day, sea day, then Brunei, Malaysia, sea day, then the Philippines. That is as far as Vit and I have gotten comparing shore excursions. You’d think on a sea day there would be all the time in the world, but I had Frankie all day today doing lessons and educational activities – Madam had virtual meetings with her reps back home most of the day, leaving her too tired for trivia games tonight. And Vit had Nicholas training … and trying to find out what his odd mood this morning was about. Vit says he thinks he knows but it will take more than one day to help him. Since he said no more than that I must deduce that it is some male thing or other.
Today we sailed the Java Sea. There was a history lecture on how Dutch merchant ships frequently traveled this area in the 17th and 18th centuries. We also had rijsttafel with the evening meal, a rice dish adopted by the Dutch from this area and still popular in The Netherlands today. I’m growing a little concerned at how often Vit is resorting to antacids. I’m not sure if it is stress, diet, or both. I do know he needs to lay off the vodka when he is with the men in the evenings, at least until his stomach settles down. This stuff he does for Dylan may also be part of the problem. I don’t know what kind of information gathering he is doing but it must be important if Dylan … no, I’m not getting involved with that unless asked to. Vit or Dylan will say something if I can help.
While Frankie did his lessons I went over my notes, filed the postcards from the last couple of days, continued to organize the pictures I am uploading, tried to decide what to put in the trunk and what I will need to carry on the return flight, and took care of family correspondence.
Some good news, some not, and some simply is what it is. The flu is still going strong. Christine wrote that they even closed several public schools in Florida trying to break the chain of infections. I think her intentions were to let me know that she was keeping Reggie and Benji at home, not to control them, but to control them from being exposed to the flu. Reggie gets it but is still morose. Benji is oblivious but seems intentionally so because he doesn’t like people asking him, or those he is with, about Lena. Social media is helping but only so much. The kids are feeding off themselves a bit. They are also trying to find ways to break curfew for a meet up. It caused the flu to spread in families that had been infection free up until that time and it is that situation that finally brought about Reggie’s compliance. He became more worried for Derrick than he did for his social life.
The news we get on board says that for whatever reason this flu is much more vicious in the States, Canada, and Mexico than it was/is in other countries. Some say it is because too few people got the flu vaccine this year, and of those that did about half the vaccines seem to be ineffective which means there may have been an additional mutation to the virus by the time it made it to the Western Hemisphere. The science is still out on that, but it seems to be a pretty big deal whatever the cause.
I got online and was shocked to see the statistics. The homeless population, pregnant and nursing mothers, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, schools (secondary and post-secondary schools the worst), and staff at medical facilities are all being hit hard. Congregate living facilities like residential mental health facilities, prisons, and juvenile detention centers are also suffering a higher than normal infection rate in their staff and residents. The fatality rate has leveled off, but infections are still high and of those infected there are a higher percentage of complications than in a normal flu season. They aren’t calling this a pandemic yet, but some people wonder why they are holding back from giving it that designation.
I emailed Angelia that when she gets a chance to make another store run, to make sure and pick up a couple of large bottles of hand sanitizer, bleach tablets, and some OTC drugs for me. She said she’ll add it to the list but right now that is all in short supply. That gave me something to think about and, I don’t want to over react, but I may buy some and send it home when we send everything else. It is on my list to talk with Vit about.
And on another topic, out of the blue today I got an email from Charlie saying he was going to paddle my behind when I get home. Nothing else, just that. So of course I emailed back and I asked what in the world for. He pinged me for a chat and we were both lucky that I had the time and the connectivity to make it happen. When he told me why he was “upset” I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. Some of the family are now hooked on estate sales, secondhand stores, etc. and he is being dragged this way and that to help out. I told him not my problem, they need to learn to pace themselves and buy their own blasted enclosed trailer. Well that got him laughing so I know he was only joking. And Charlie being Charlie he has started another income stream of finding things and reselling them.
He also told me that he continues to find things that need to be taken care of at the house.
“Vettie, it is a bigger mess than we thought. I was measuring for some linoleum in the utility room and found dry rot in the floor where one of the renters didn’t report a leak or clog or something and the floor was left damp for too long. The flashing on the vent for the dryer stack also pulled loose and during the last rain the leak was bad enough that the ceiling in the master bedroom fell. I might not be saving as much cash as I thought I was going to despite buying the used stuff.”
All I could think of was the mess. “The entire ceiling?!”
“No, just a piece that runs between the closet and the master bath. That can’t wait and Tal is going to have a guy he knows make the repair with some spare pieces of greenboard he has at the shop. We’re lucky it wasn’t an entire sheet that came down, but he isn’t going to put any drywall mud on it until he is sure that nothing is going to mold. He said he’ll get up there and spray the rafters with bleach and then Kilz over the beams after they are dry.”
Taking the bull by the horns I asked, “Charlie, I need to know … really need to know … are we fighting a losing battle with the Pembroke House?”
“Huh? Nah. Didn’t mean to give you that impression. I know it sounds bad but most of it is cosmetic. I won’t deny it is a mess but its mostly a cosmetic mess. Mom refused to let the house be updated … you know how she was. She liked it the way it has always been, and Dad barely remembered to wear matching socks so it didn’t bother him to live like that until he got a taste of something different when y’all moved to Jacksonville.” Then he asked, “You having second thoughts?”
“No. Of course not. I just don’t want Vit nor I walking in blind.” I told him what Vit said about his carpentry skills and being willing to learn what he didn’t currently know.
“That’ll help sure enough. And Tal and I are going to go over the place again and make sure nothing else got missed. The delayed maintenance and upgrading are the priorities. I’ll pick Tal’s brain on what he thinks can be done about the utility room floor. It isn’t a load bearing wall or on a floor joist, just a place where the washing machine used to sit. I know a couple of the windows won’t stay up, but I’m more concerned about making sure all the windows close and lock. The place will be livable when you two get here, it just won’t be the Ritz.”
“I’m not looking for it to be Charlie, I just want to have some idea where we need to start first. This tells me the wallpaper is going to have to wait until we get the other stuff finished. What about the landscaping and trees? And is the well still working? Can you find out how much it is going to cost to keep the peroxide system filled? After everyone moved out, we could go six weeks between peroxide fills, sometimes eight during the winter after Poppa had a separate ag well drilled.”
“I forget you did all that for Dad and Mom.”
Mentally shrugging I said, “When the last of you all moved out and Poppa just …”
Charlie did his own mental shrug and acknowledged, “Yeah, he slowed down. I guess none of us were really paying attention to how much. I’ll have Tal look and see if anything needs to be cut back from the house. I know the trees on the property line are pretty rough but might just leave them until last. Angelia swears if the Grangers’ goats get out again she’s going to start shooting. They mowed down an entire row of something and she was hot … I mean hot. Hey, before I forget, we did make sure the gas tank was filled already before prices went crazy. Derrick insisted and it was a good thing. But I’ve got it turned off to the house right now and the tank is padlocked and so is the shed it’s in. Tal said the electric system is still good except for a couple of those security lights out by the road, but that’s something else that is going to have to wait.”
“Just send me the list. Vit has surprising talents … I didn’t know it, but his degree is in mechanical engineering … and that he was hired for maintenance, only it morphed into more of a jack-of-all-trades kind of crew position.”
That gave him something to think about and then we broke off because it was late/early back home and between laundry and everything else, my own evening was planned out. Frankie is now in bed in his cabin and Vit and Nicholas should be done for the evening soon as well. I need to clean up the remaining mess Frankie and I left in the living area. And I need to put some balm on the bruise I can feel on the back of my shoulder. I sparred with another woman today and she was better than she let on. I was trying not to hurt her and she was trying to prove herself. She tossed me using a jiu jitsu move which I wasn’t expecting. Vit tried to hide he was upset but I told him not to be; that it proved his point that I was getting complacent only having him to spar with. Yes, it was a bit of a cheat on her part – it wasn’t supposed to be an MMA match – but it taught me a lesson. Better to learn a lesson that way and before you really could be hurt by it.