You showed great restraint, there, Stilly. I would have gone off like a spring-loaded bottle rocket and probably made several enemies for life.

Last week’s visit of the appliance technician led to the discovery of a mother lode of crud behind the dryer. There’s a folded shower curtain that never belonged to us (therefore dating back more than five years), a crumpled sock, a cigarette packet (also not ours), some stray bits of hardware and (of course) two cat toys, all glommed together with spider webs and enough dryer lint to choke a Shop-Vac. So that’s what preceded the first load of wash today.

My friend Alden gave me the name of an excellent handy-man who I hope will be willing to take on the job of making my laundry room a bit less nasty. In particular, there’s a butt-ugly shelving unit made of 1980s-vintage pressboard painted piss yellow; I want it gone in the worst way, but it’s fastened to the concrete wall somehow. I want to be able to see that wall to check for damp where no damp should be, plus did I mention just how very ugly it is? I will pay good money to achieve this objective, and I hope Mr DeVriess is up for the challenge.

Elder Brother and SiL have been in contact with a COVID-positive grandchild, making their visit next weekend very iffy. I am planning a trip to Ottawa in October, so I shall call and suggest that they forget about travelling and just kick back in quarantine.