Sunday, October 24, 2010

Another Couple of Things...

So here's a couple of things. First off, this morning Madeleina and I had thin slices of that fantastic sourdough bread covered in good cheddar and put into the oven till the cheese was melting. And we h ad it with very very thin slices of left over corned beef that we had with cabbage and boiled potatoes last night.
Jealous, aren't you. I would be too.
Want more? After we both did some exercise, we each had three little squares of the Ghiradelli 72% cacao dark chocolate that my friend C sent from San Fran the other day. Same day we got her sourdough.
Tonight? Last of the corned beef and cabbage with no potatoes. And the corned beef will be very well trimmed. Got to cut back somewhere.
So that's one thing.
Then a reporter from Newsweek got in touch to talk about my trips. I have no idea whether what I wrote him will interest him in actually coming along, but without ego, I cannot imagine going on anyone's trip except mine, at least the first time in the jungle. I mean, just to learn who the river people are, how riverboats work, where the medicine comes from, how it's utilized by locals and so forth. All the rest is just gringo stuff and I just don't do that trip. Even though I'm getting old and fat and all that jazz. It's worth the effort to change my guests' lives. And when I can't do that, when I need a camp an hour out of Iquitos, well, then I won't take people out anymore. Cause that's not how I was taught and so that's not how I'm gonna teach.
Next: The damned six-cent gaskets in the toilet, the one's that work with the bolts that attach the tank to the toilet bowl, have been giving out and the subsequent leak has been causing the toilet to sink a little as the wooden frame in the house's undercarriage has been getting soaked.
Solution: Turn off the toilet completely. Put a bucket under the drip in the nearby shower. Collect the shower water leak and use to flush the toilet.
Okay, I know I can't keep going like that because it's not considered civilized, but until I can get those damned bolts--I've put in enough DW 40 to take the Intrepid apart!--loose, I'm sort of stuck.
So today's lesson: If you have good sourdough, put it in the oven and eat it with melted cheddar. If you have left over corned beef, add that to the mix. And if your shower is dripping and your toilet is leaking, use one to fix the other.
Have a great night, everybody.

1 comment:

Pangolin said...

You have to cut the toilet tank bolts off with a dremel tool and a cutting disk. With certain kinds of water the corrosion welds them on and no amount of wrenching will do.

Be sure to wear eye protection as it will throw slivers of brass that are hard to get out.

Thanks for keeping up this blog.