Everest Traffic Jam

Mount Everest (From CNN.com)

So many people are climbing Mount Everest these days that "traffic jams" often develop. And these jams may have contributed to the deaths this week of two mountaineers. Indian climber Anjali Kulkarni, 55, died on her way back from climbing to the summit, and American mountaineer Donald Lynn Cash, 55, died after fainting from high altitude sickness while descending. One climber posted a photo Wednesday (May 22) of the heavy human traffic on Everest, estimating that about 320 people were in a line waiting to stand on the summit in an area known as the "death zone." More than 200 climbers have died on the peak since 1922. Most bodies are believed to still be buried under glaciers or snow.

320 people lined up to summit Mt. Everest! Sir Edmund Hillary will be turning over in his grave!

What a Day!

It is going up to 26 here today (78F). Kelly dropped over yesterday to see if her back was good enough to weed a little. It was. This morning I cut some of the front rose bush that was in front of the kitchen window. Yes Norma, I know it is the wrong season for trimming roses. Then I went around back and cut out some prickly vines that were growing in my wood pile. I got a little scarred up doing that but I will live. All in all I half filled a garden refuse bag and am quite proud of myself! It is the first gardening I have done without Norma literally hanging over my shoulder telling me exactly where and how to cut!

Home Again

Home again and rain, rain, rain! Nothing but rain for the next two weeks. Staying inside!

Pension Problem Solved!

I finally got face to face with a BC Government Employees pension plan person after her admonishing me for driving all the way to Victoria without an appointment. Her: "We are very busy, you are lucky I could fit you in". Me: "How can I set up an appointment? You never answer your phone". Her (proudly):"Our records show that 80% of phone calls are answered in 20 minutes or less". 20 minutes is about what it takes to kill a cell phone battery.

After that things went smoothly. The balance of her pension will be deposited in my account at the end of May and the missed April payment will be sent out soon. The Extended Medical payments will be deducted from my deposits.

Traffic on the Malahat was slow but not parking lot slow. I made it back to Shawnigan in an hour and a half instead of the best case 45 minutes.

When Norma was one of the heads of Forest Renewal BC, she decreed that all incoming phone calls were answered by a human being in six rings or less. If you left your desk, you forwarded your calls to your cell phone.If you were in a meeting the call went to your assistant or to the receptionist with the six ring rule still in effect.

At Brooks'

I am down in Shawnigan Lake for a few days visiting my son and LindaLee. I needed to get out of the house. I am driving down to Victoria to meet with Norma's' pension office face to face. That is the last problem I am having with her affairs. She left me a small portion of her pension, enough to cover the {subsidized) extended medical plan payments. They keep telling me it will take "another week or so" to do the paperwork and that is fine except I want to make sure I don't lose my medical coverage because they can't get their crap together.

Chores

With all that has been going on in my life lately I neglected to run the generator in the motorhome to exercise it for two months in a row. This morning I hit the start button and after a few seconds of grinding away, it started! I fired up the air conditioning to give it a good load and after an hour and a half I will turn it off. All is well and if I want to use the motorhome this summer, it is ready to go.

Baby Steps

I cleared out three of Norma's bedroom drawers and all three of her bathroom drawers in the en-suite. She used the en-suite while I used the main bathroom. I may move my stuff into the en-suite. I looked in the hall closet and it is LOADED with her coats and jackets! I mean loaded to the point where you cannot get your hand in to see what is there. I will have to get a large box to move them into until winter when there are charities asking for jackets for the homeless.

Brooks' ex-MIL called to say she was working on the granddaughters to come up and pick what they want out of Norma's clothes. If they can all agree on a date she will bring them up for a day or two.

I know I am slow, but it is a start!

May First

Back when I worked for a living I usually took International Labour Day off to celebrate the "real" Labour Day with my fellow Industrial Workers Of The World (IWW).

From The 90's

Our friends Miriam and Bruce sent this photo from their archives. The best date I can come up with is the early 90's. In my Facebook post I called it, "The Political Organizer and the Union Thug". LOL. She was always the tougher of the two of us!