The winds and the smoke came today. We have some unusual pressure event that has spun up the winds and created a bizarre spiral wind in the valley. The wind blows for each direction as if it was a swirl of air. The wind then stops and starts again. The wind has wrapped and unwrapped my USA flag on its pole from the direction changes, weird! The sky went gray, and the sun yellow as the smoke fills our valley from the Mt. Hood fire and other fires further away. Air Volvo, green-gray, is gray now with ash. The wind has dropped branches on Air Volvo, and I was hit by a small branch standing next to Air Volvo!
Air Volvo already grayed and bouncing off small branches.
I thought of parking Air Volvo on the street, but where would be safe? Trees are everywhere. So Air Volvo is in the driveway.
Before the air turned brown and the wind started dropping sticks on me, I started with a rush at 8:15ish as Susie had appointments and a driver. So we got her off to hair, nails, toes, etc. by 9ish. I then finished my Scythe boardgame work so I can put that away. I made the last small fixes and sprayed them with the final coating to protect the oil paints for shading.
As this is spoiler content for Scythe, no pictures.
I got a text from Mariah to have lunch. Susie was still with her appointment, so I met Mariah at Buffalo Wild Wings in the outdoor seating, and we had wings and talked about writing. We both had a refreshing beverage, Coors Light, and waved off the wasps until we had finished. The wasps then came for the leftovers in packs. We gave up the table to them and paid the bill.
I then headed to Hillsboro. The local game store was closed for the holiday. Good for them! I walked to the excellent hobby store, Hillsboro Hobby Store, and found them open and went in and purchased something. They have the best old model kit collection. They are on the Internet selling for years. Today I found a Prinz Eugen heavy cruiser in 1/700 scale. When I opened it, the kit has the etched brass for the model, all for the excellent price of $24.99 (no sales tax in Oregon). I do not know when I can build it, but I was happy to get this one.
I then went to Insomnia Coffee to write. I got a muffin and coffee. I got back to “Howard’s Lockdown” and made some more fixes and chatted with a few folks, everyone in masks, and keeping our distances. I find the Insomnia Coffee locations make me feel safe, and all are peaceful places to write. I am about 1/3 through the story for fixes.
I came home and took a short nap and got the bedding in the washer. I find that when pollen is out-of-control that redoing the bed helps. With the addition of smoke, wind, and Covid-19, I wash it even more!
I then made home-made all-rotten-potatoes (that is what we call them) with ham, excellent locally made ham from Olympia Provisions. Corwin cut up an onion for me while I sliced eight taters, put that in a glass dish, added some butter, and then cut pieces of the perfect ham and put that on top. This bakes forever (over an hour). Pulled it out about halfway cooked and added heavy cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Always covered in tin foil in a glass dish. It is a bit plain, but the ham and cheese and cream make it work.
The winds and sticks then started falling. I began to feel the burn—my eyes and throat. I put in for PTO, Paid-Time-Off, as I do not want to talk with a burning throat–I had endless Zoom meetings on Tuesday.
More than two-hundred eighty persons in the USA are reported to have died from the virus this Labor Day 2020.
With the winds, smoke, riots, Corvid-19, elections, and so on, this seemed the right song for today from Motown from 2009: Detroit Mass Choir – The Storm Is Passing Over. It will be alright.
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 