The night-time temperatures here have been hovering around freezing, so there's more work to do at the marina. First of all, Michael has to put 'ice-melt' out on the docks regularly so folks aren't slippin' and slidin' -- that's a little more dangerous on water than on land! We also have to make sure all the water is drained from hoses, etc., or that folks have left a tap dripping a bit -- frozen pipes are a 'PITA' and can be very expensive to fix!
January is often the month, as live-aboards, where 'the rubber meets the road,' so to speak. The live-aboard lifestyle is often romanticized (and it IS pretty romantic!) but it also has its drawbacks, and January is the month that those drawbacks are the most noticeable.
For one thing, many people (including Michael) suffer from what is now being called 'SAD' Syndrome -- not enough sunlight. And when you're living in a small space, that can result in a unique kind of cabin fever.
And how easy is it for YOU to do laundry? As liveaboards, we have to pack it up and trundle it all off to a laundromat -- and January has some of the lowest tides of the year, so that means lugging it up a 45-degree angle dock (which better have lots of 'ice-melt' on it)!
Here's one of my favorite photos of where we live...
We're also having trouble with a tenant who hasn't paid his moorage in a few months, and so our nice requests have now become written demands, and yesterday I spent two hours on the phone between lawyers, Transport Canada and the bailiff's office to determine what, exactly, are our rights in terms of getting a moorage tenant to pay up or get out.It's not pleasant when it's reached this point, but it's part of our job, unfortunately.
Well, back to my knitting -- I'm working on a shawl for Threads of Compassion.
3 comments:
we have to go to the laundromat too---every wednesday night, its uphill to the parking lot so thats why I wait for Tom, I just can't carry it up hill and then upstairs. I admire your due diligince at sticking it out on your boat!!!
Wow, I've never met anyone who lives on the sea. It does sound romantic, but in January, so does a roaring fire in the fireplace!
Sorry to hear about tenant trouble - that certainly can't help the winter doldrums.
Here's wishing you some sunny days!
Well, I have the roaring fireplace, too .... check my Dec. 22nd entry! :-)
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