Story 27April2022: Wednesday

Going backward, I was reading until I went to sleep before midnight. I finished as much as I wanted of a book on Becket. I read that his chapel was the most valuable in Chiristdom and ordered a large book from AbeBooks from a show about Becket in England; it was the museum book with all the pictures of the items put on display for the show about Becket. I learned from the book that all that is left of this chapel, Henry VIII destroyed it, and Cromwell finished the job, is just a piece of pink marble found at Canterberry Cathedral.

I had watched part of the movie Becket, but it was so inaccurate I could not finish it and wanted to know the truth. So I ordered a book from the show at the Cathedral. Now that I have finished as much of the book I am going to read, I will send it to GoodWill. I don’t need another picture book, but reading and seeing all the pictures were good.

Before this, Glenda, Susan’s Aunt from North Carolina, was vacuuming my Turkish rug and cleaning up the area that is now clear of books and games. She found more dice and my copy of the new rules for Twilight Imperium, a massive 4X board game that had fallen behind something. I will print a new copy of the living rules; even the versioning of the rules for TI4 is complex!

Before this, I completed moving the last stack of books to a bookcase.  I still have some smaller piles, but the books are mostly put away. The games are put on shelves and not on the floor. The board game Root, which is now four boxes and a rolled map, is still a bit messy, but I will soon find a better home for it. Root finished a new version just before the pandemic, and we did a lot of play before the lockdown. This is one of the asymmetrical games where everyone plays by different rules. It is hard to master as each of the factions, I have lost count of how many there are, is a different set of rules and game experience. This the game even more exciting by playing with four or more players, running mostly different rules. As one can imagine, the game has had some issues, and I have the updated rules and boards. In addition, I have a corrected set of rules and parts.

I forgot to mention that the lawn service people and I chatted on Tuesday, and we are replanting part of the back lawn. I want less mud, carefully edged by my lawn service, and more grass. The fallen apple tree had killed part of the back lawn, and I now want it back. Also, grass will better drink the water and reduce the wet back there. They agreed and even replanted a more extensive section than I had seeded. So I am watching the grass grow, quite literally.

Before this, we had Chicken Cordon Blu for dinner. These are frozen, uncooked, and from Schwann’s. I made a slightly unsmooth buy tasty Hollandaise sauce to go with this–I have not found the secret yet to make this sauce. Glenda cooked more asparagus and reheated the leftover couscous as sides. It was a lovely meal. Corwin had some a bit later.

Continuing the backward narrative, we were at Forest Grove Rehab and Care Center in the later afternoon. Susie was in bed and asleep when we got there; I was manually checked in (the person who let us in did not know how to use the new computer system), while Glenda was checked in by the computer screen.

Susie was a bit talkative when we woke her and reported that she had multiple rehab sessions that day. Good. She and Glenda chatted for a bit, and then we connected with Leta, Susie’s mother, on my iPhone. We all chatted for a while.

Susie had a cut on her head and blood on her pillow. We had the RN look at that and will keep an eye on it. We are not sure how Susie cut her head, but it did not look like a bump from a fall. Again, we will monitor it.

We left Susie after a short visit, but she was sorry to see us go as she was fully awake now. It is always heartbreaking to leave. I was too tired to stay much longer.

After writing the blog and getting ready in the morning, we headed to the Hoyt Arboretum in Portland. I asked Glenda to pick something she wanted to do, and walking in the arboretum was her choice.

We did 5,000 steps in the morning, and I was breathing hard a few times when we hiked uphill. It was a gray day, and we got some Oregon Mist and a few sprinkles. We saw the bamboo and ginkgos collection and many other less exotic groupings. I have not been there for years, and it was pleasant to walk.

We got there after nine, and there were few parking spots available, but we got one and then paid Parking Kitty for the spot. We were headed back then just before it would expire; my phone started to meow to warn us our time was running out. It is a friendly app.

Also, we did get a bit mixed up on the way back as the trails look different when you turn around. We found a different path back after asking for some directions from a guy running the trails.

I started the day with my alarm at 6:30.