Today my friend/former student/colleague Josh W. got me signed up for all the insurance coverage that doesn't come with Medicare. Yikes. I now have an Rx plan and a supplemental plan to cover the 20% that Medicare doesn't. Alas, all this comes at a cost that is eating into that meager Social Security check I'm going to get every month. Maybe it's a good thing I like the gallo pinto I had in C.R.
(That name literally means spotted rooster and they think it comes from a description of the mottled appearance of rice cooked with black or red beans.)
I'm working hard to get everything done before move date arrives and at the top of that list is finishing the truck. I started on the bed Saturday morning and spent almost the whole day on it. I had the boards stained and varnished, but that was the easy part. The truck restoration forum has a whole section about wood bed installs because it's one of those projects that gives everyone fits and sends them looking for a solution to one or another issue that comes up.
I worked on it before church Sunday morning and more in the afternoon.
This morning Pam stood in the bed and pushed down on the carriage bolts while I rolled around on my creeper underneath putting on the washers and nuts. That sounds a lot easier than it actually was because nothing fits like the very poorly written instructions say it will.
But by dinnertime tonight I had it done except for a few more washers & nuts I'll attach tomorrow.
This is a big step in the process because of the total amount of labor involved and the visual effect after staring at the back end of the frame for over a year.
I've got a problem with the passenger side door latch that I hope to have fixed by the end of the week with a little help from a guy in the 'hood who also works on old cars. But the trim and mirrors are all in place which also helps it look more like a finished vehicle.
That trim piece on the front fender and the Fleetside script on the back of the bed side (probably not visible in this pic) are made out of what car guys call unobtanium. Nobody's making repops and the price of decent used stuff is sky high. I'm fortunate that these pieces were still with the truck and cleaned up pretty well.
Next time you see a 50's Chevy truck look at that front fender emblem. About half the people put that on backward, putting them on the wrong fender, because it looks like the red part should go in front and the point to the rear. But it was the 50's and Americans were fascinated by all things space-related. Chevy was trying to channel a rocket with the red flames coming out the back.
A week ago tonight I got back from Costa Rica. Pam and I don't like being apart so being gone for 12 days was a long stretch. But I sure miss the people and the place. I'm very thankful God gave me that opportunity and seems to have blessed the efforts.
I have another part to my family and I miss the Cabezas a lot.
Pam gave her notice at work today. She hadn't planned on doing it this soon but a co-worker she'd told about our move in confidence blurted it out to her supervisor (aaargh) and Pam was afraid it would get to her supervisor through the grape vine. When Pam came home a couple of hours later (after running some errands) she reported that her boss was shocked, as were the coworkers the told. Yeah, tears all around.
Can you picture men crying in that situation?
Time for some Costa Rica coffee and a piece of Silvia's wonderful dessert, the recipe for which she shared with Pam. Trust me, this is so good you too would say, "Oh my."
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