Like sand through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.

Today was a big spending day. Harold was up early to take the truck into the shop just down the road to have a new oil pan put in. We'd been warned there was a potential leak in it when we were at home, but we weren't noticing any oil drips and we were quoted $1,500 to fix it so we put it off.

On Saturday we noticed some drips on the pavement where we were parked and figured it was a good idea to get it fixed while we were in one place in a city. He took it in and they quoted us pretty much the same price, with the exchange, so they're working on  it now, and we should get it back tomorrow.

The other big expense was more exciting. We're finally getting our solar panels installed! We bought them from a place called Solar Penny that was referred by someone my parents met in Laughlin, NV. So we have Mike here installing them today.

We've been taken in by the relative ease of electricity and air conditioning the last few days, and today has been so much nicer, now that we've shucked that off.

With all the windows and the door open, a breeze wafting in, the neighbourhood sounds of barking dogs, wind in the palm trees, and our neighbours yelling and throwing things, it's a sublime nirvana.

The drama started off as minor grumbling and grouching. These two are very elderly and definitely hard of hearing. We could hear them going at each other all morning. She was picking incessantly at him and he was growling at her to leave him the hell alone. Then around noon, it got worse, when he was damning her to hell for throwing things at him. "Damn it woman! You better not go breaking my damn glasses like you did last time!" he shouted. Most of the rest was incomprehensible. Believe me, I was straining to make out the words.

We kept listening, to make sure it didn't escalate into anything worse, also because we were amused at the drama of this couple who had looked so polite and refined, but mostly because we couldn't escape it, even if we'd wanted to.

You're just too close in these places, and unless you're whispering inside your closed up, air conditioned RV, your neighbours are bound to hear you. A plus when you're the one working in your trailer and looking for an entertainment respite. A curse if you really want to let your own husband know he did something supremely foolish -- yet again -- and maybe throw a pot or plate at his head.

These are the days of our lives.