身體之鍛鍊/莊峻華
幾日來，與網球伴討論身題之鍛鍊，對老年人之重要，我在武漢新冠肺炎肆虐後，開始調整平日鍛鍊身體之課程，半年後發現，立即奏效，網球夥伴開始不支，開始無法每日連續球局，不是手背疼痛，就是膝蓋，我突然發現，清晨散步和游泳，幫忙體力甚巨，就是稍有維恙，藥物幫助，恢復甚快。
我開始邀請舊日球伴，恢復網球運動，這週六開始，史單那老隊長和羅傑斯，開始來社區打網球，他們年紀稍大於我，也有三位鄰居，表示興趣，其中一位，經過兩位散步太太介紹，因為球友離去，已經多年中斷網球，我歡迎他們隨時加入球局，於是我告訴他們時間表，因為我們可以輪流休息，如果提前告知，甚至可以安排一人休假。
清晨散步，非常溫和，若是走上幾哩路，也是滿身大汗，表示心臟尚佳，對四肢五官都有幫助，而且可以曬太陽，増進體力。
今年始體會此社區之好處，有網球場，有游泳池，和有一幽雅環境可以散步，也因此讓我認識許多愛犬知己，還有他們之主人，我說特別喜歡愛犬早起，可以顯示我內心之喜悅，如果無水管破裂，水管堵塞等俗事纏身，我真似居人間樂園。
Departure of two lovely pet dogs/Carlos Pueblo
Suddenly Chance and Daschle are moving out of their house at
the corner of Olympia and Stoneford because the owner wants to put the house on
the market for sale. They have to follow the owner’s son to move away to an
apartment. They are my favorite dog friends in the neighborhood. They are the
Border Collie or the Australian Shepherd. Chance used to be belonged to Jim,
the owner, while Daschle is his son’s. They are brothers in the same litter. When
I walk by the house, Chance would come to the side gate to bark at me and
latter Daschle joins in as a pack. I asks the owner formally introducing me to
Chance and he becomes my friend and allow me to pet him and so is Daschle when
he latter moves in with the owner’s son.
I used to provide old tennis balls for the dogs to play
until the room mate of the son stops me due to the concern of the dogs’ gum,
yet I am still allowed to greet them. At the old time, both dogs remember that
I am the tennis ball man and carry the bit up ball toward me for playing. When
I pass the house in day dreaming, they would bark at me in loud voices to get
my attention. After February this year, I extend my morning walk and passing by
their house before the sun rises, they still bark at me far away on the Olympia.
I feel that they are very lonely. The owners don’t have time
to take them to walk and can only play at the back yard around a swimming pool.
During the winter time, they can get in to the garage for a shelter. Diana
tells me a story about the lonely Chance. She once felt bad for Chance and
texted a phone message to Jim’s daughter for help. She was her daughter’s classmate.
The situation was improved temporarily yet returned to the same soon after. She
blames that Jim’s date of a girlfriend not far away. It is not my business
really that I only care about our friendship. When I pass by the house, I
always come closed to chat with them even with another dog’s company. They
would patiently wait for my attention.
This is why I don’t like to have a dog that I don’t like the
moment of the departure. It is a kind of suffering, a suffering of the mankind
as the Buddha’s description like the birth, the aging, the sickness, and the
death. Jim comforts me that his son’s new apartment in downtown is closed to a
dog park and dogs will be alright after all. I am thinking of the other way. I
must write it down for my memory.
告別兩愛犬/莊峻華
強斯和戴秀是兩兄弟愛犬，屬邊境牧羊犬，或是澳洲牧羊犬，黑色兼些斑白俊犬，都是雄性，最近始閹割，吠聲如雷，我先認識強斯，經其主人紹介後，對我友善，戴秀偶爾來強斯家作客，主人曰彼等乃同胞兄弟也，與其子照顧，當年，我剛從老茶花女街住屋搬來西村，強斯應是早期愛犬知己。吉姆退修後，搬離住屋他去，其屋由其子居住，於是戴秀搬來，每日清晨，雙犬均在側門等候，我偶贈舊網球，供彼等玩耍，強斯聰穎，遇我經過則衘球相見，我不斷稱贊。
因彼吠聲如雷，許多小愛犬和主人，不敢靠近，其實此類牧羊犬，非常溫柔，愛美過去經常站在遠處等待，就是現在陪伴兩愛犬散步路過，女主人也要求其犬坐立，保持距離。我和強斯感情較好，平常他站右邊，等待我之摸頭，甜言蜜語，若是我作白日夢路過不察，他們也會提醒我注意，今年初因武漢肺炎肆虐，我天未亮即出門，過奧林匹亞路，雙犬就大聲吠叫，提醒我他們之早起。
吉姆將收回住屋，整理後出售，其子與雙犬已搬離，我甚悵然若失，他說其子搬進城中公寓，附近有愛犬公園，應該環境不錯，我黯然無語，此為愛親別離之苦，許多人不能體會，我之喜愛犬，而又不願蓄犬，乃不願歷此苦也。
東鄰愛犬愛瑪亦是邊境牧羊犬，巧克力色䧳犬，甚是可愛，亦是我知己，鄰居有兩幼齡嬰孩，主人經常攜愛瑪與小孩散步，有時他們走近奧林匹亞路附近，鄰居也注意到吉姆家之兩愛犬，我要找時間與其談到這段別離。
Our up stair plumbing
problem/Carlos Pueblo
There is always an issue of our
up stair bath room water disposal problem and we don’t know what to do with it.
Amy has closed three faucets under two counters and only let Arthur to use one
faucet and keep the wash water in a pan dump to the working toilet or the bath
top. He has been very patient for the last five years. Every two days, both
sinks are full of clean water and we don’t know what it is and where it is
coming from. During the recent broken pipe in the front yard, we are very
impressed with the skill of that plumbing company and invite the sales plumber
to come up to take a look. He suggests having a snake job for $450.00 and we
agree.
He uses a small size of round
cable to get into the disposal pipe and attempts to break up the clog. After
several try and exhausted two batteries, he offers a second option of power
wash with an additional cost. We agree and he schedules to come back on Monday
with the machine and a plumbing camera. Both of Amy and I have two sleepless
nights to think about this problem. At least we learn that the overflow clean
water is the drainage of the air condition unit coil on the attic. Since the
snake work has made the clog more compacted, we must dump the water on the pan
every two hours period.
The plumber comes back on Monday morning
with all the equipment needed. I tell him my thinking of my cutting losses if
he fails again on the power wash. I don’t want to go to the third option to
break up the wall to replace the pipe. I tell him my theory that his options
are all the physical process and I want to try my chemical process to use the
caustic soda, NaOH, to break up the calcium precipitate. He offers me a bet and
I am not in such mood. He changes the shower head into a connection for a hose
to be used. Then, the electricity is applied to pump the pressure to a hose
lead tube with a metal head into the trouble pipe. He wants me to take a look
at the camera screen. Actually I don’t see very much that I can understand yet
I can see the wash. Soon he finishes both pipes and asks me to check all sinks
and tops down stair. Our cost is $820 to cover the previous procedure.
I believe that if we don’t listen
to some other plumbers’ opinions from the beginning, we find a proper plumber
to do the snaking one step at a time. We don’t have to wait for five years of
our time to enjoy this beautiful two story house.
排水管痼疾/莊峻華
住家二樓浴室，排水管有痼疾，積水不通，自遷居於此近八年，後五年開始有問題，停止使用洗臉水槽後，每兩日必有滿槽清水，必需清除，旁邊之抽水馬桶和浴池則無恙，平時委曲元兒，使用水盆積水，積滿倒入馬桶或浴池，非常不便，這次前院水管破裂，找到一家修理水管公司，非常有效率，當然很貴，於是我邀請其業務師傅估價，這樓上問題，他爬上小頂樓，於是開始使用蛇形長鋼索，入管清除障礙，我一生觀看過幾次，通試幾次，兩具電池，然然不能過關，於是他建議我第二選擇，使用動力噴水龍頭清洗，這手續報價八百二十，免去前手續之四百五十，我說的都是美金。他將帶水管照相機，和噴水龍頭來，那積滿清水，乃冷氣機冷卻排水也。
這週末，我一直無法入寐，滿腦都是這水管堵塞問題，問題還是要解決，過去道聽途說多年，均是危言聳聽，甚麼二樓住屋排水設計問題，需要拆開牆壁更換水管等等大工程大預算，我聽得心寒不已。於是我向鄰居愛犬主人訴苦，均曰難題也。師傅曰因久未使用，故堵塞像是頑石，於是我開始回想到我的化學，這頑石來自於何？自來水中有許多鈣離子，因為水廠化學單元操作，加氫氧化鈣，逼使重金屬沉澱，自來水帶來鈣離子到家中，就是與空氣中之二氧化碳，也可以產生石灰石，所以我相信水管堵塞之原因，太多鈣離子，太多陰離子，還有二樓設計問題，於是我和師傅講，若其第二步驟失敗，就是動力清洗無效，我不願採取拆牆第三步，我願放棄所有物理治療法，採取我的化學分解法，就是買苛性鹼，氫氧化钠溶解於冷氣機排水中，慢慢腐蝕頑石中之鈣，我們要開始談論我的停損點，就是我要付多少他的辛勞。
青年師傅要跟我打賭，我毫無興趣，他要我看相機，於是那噴水機，開始發揮作用，不些時兩管具通暢無阻，我的積年厄夢，突然夢醒。
Observing the replacement of a
broken water pipe/Carlos pueblo
There is a broken water pipe
underground on our side of the front yard border line with our neighbor to the
east. We both make sure that the water leak is my responsibility. I have had a
plumbing company to come to put a new pipe by the side of the old. First, we
have to wait for the city’s contractor to shut off the water valve in front of
the water meter. Only the city has such big turn key to move the knot and we
must wait. Once the water is turned off, a team of three young Mexican workers
come to dig a ditch along a white line marked by the first plumber of the
plumbing company. Another plumber comes and begins to take a look of the job. I
have some interest of the pipe arrangement of the water filter; therefore, I
watch his work and chat with him to learn some knowledge of the current day
plumbing.
The plumber who makes the
contract indicates that there will be a homeowner valve installed on the new
pipe behind the city water mater; however, he doesn’t list on the contract. Both
Amy and I are worried overnight. We text the company to inform our concern and
finally we see the second plumber who makes the confirmation to install that one
and also replace an old one before the pipe enter the house. Now I have a
better understanding how to turn on and off the tap water. If I want to change
a faucet, I can turn the valve by the wall of the house and if I must shut the
whole entrance of water to my house, I can easily turn off the homeowner valve
by the water meter just added.
He, the installing plumber, cuts
and connects the PVC pipes, polyvinylchrolide tubes easily. He answers my
questions of why replacing the old metal pipes. It is cleaner and makes more
economic sense. We can save some cost of the replacement even though the
plastic material lasts shorter than the metal; however, we don’t need to worry
about the heavy metal ions in our drinking system and also it is easier to cut
the plastic than the welding of the metal pipes in order to make the
connection, etc.
I finally make sure how to apply
a Teflon tape on a connection pipe, it should be on the clockwise direction to
follow the screw direction to make the closest contact of both tubes. I often
makes mistake when I make a change of tube on my drinking water filter and in a
result of such mistake, there is always a leak afterward. They don’t wait until
the city worker to come back to turn on the valve because we don’t know when
the city worker will return.
觀看更換水管/莊峻華
今晨，網球剛結束，愛美有話來，市府契約公司，已經派人關閉自來水活門，水管工人，已經開始挖地，取出破裂水管，他們有三人，都是年輕之墨西哥青年，我因為昨夜擔心一項活門，未列入契約選項，幾乎未能入寐，一位師傅曰，是準備在水錶前方，安置一小活門，這水管本身不大，我猜想就是一吋半徑，挖土工人約挖兩呎深，然後插入一隻約四呎長水管，在人行道地下通過，然後將新水管，從水錶處，穿過人行道地下水管，兩呎深地溝，抵達屋簷牆腳下，這時候師傅開始衘接水管和水龍頭，我掛口罩和他聊天，我對衘接水管有興趣，我曾經販賣服務逆滲透濾水器，許多小水管連接經驗。
為甚麼房屋水管材料，不再使用金屬水管，而採用聚氯乙烯塑膠管，因為成本低，接切管容易，無需金屬焊接之麻煩，於是我了解，我的水管破裂是應該的，不是我倒霉，而且全線更新更是保險，美國工資昂貴。我看師傅一一裁剪水管，塗上黏膠，鋼管部份衘接鐵佛龍白帶是順時鐘方向，我終於肯定。
三位墨籍工人，耐心等候，幫忙師傅開活門，因為缺乏大起開栓器，只好等我呼叫市政府，他們不知需等待到何時，遂先行散去，明日再來，市府人隨後趕到，打開活門，重新供水，缺水一日不到，有錢能使鬼推磨。
